The image-forming mirror in the eye of the scallop

• Autores: Benjamin A. Palmer, Gavin J. Taylor, Vlad Brumfeld
• Localización: Science, ISSN 0036-8075, Vol. 358, Nº 6367, 2017, págs. 1172-1175
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Scallops possess a visual system comprising up to 200 eyes, each containing a concave mirror rather than a lens to focus light. The hierarchical organization of the multilayered mirror is controlled for image formation, from the component guanine crystals at the nanoscale to the complex three-dimensional morphology at the millimeter level. The layered structure of the mirror is tuned to reflect the wavelengths of light penetrating the scallop’s habitat and is tiled with a mosaic of square guanine crystals, which reduces optical aberrations. The mirror forms images on a double-layered retina used for separately imaging the peripheral and central fields of view. The tiled, off-axis mirror of the scallop eye bears a striking resemblance to the segmented mirrors of reflecting telescopes.