Photoreceptor optics II: application to angular sensitivity and other properties of a lens-photoreceptor system.

The formalism of photoreceptor optics, developed in an earlier paper, is applied to a system consisting of a small receptor, supporting a few wave-guide modes, which is excited by light focussed onto it by a lens. The effects of various lens parameters on the angular and absolute sensitivities of this system are described. Receptor variations in the form of caps and tapers are introduced and their effects on the excitation process evaluated. The results obtained are also related to the approach to vision research based on the receptor as a sampling element. Finally, an analysis is presented of the deduction of receptor properties by means of reverse light path observations. The emphasis is on results and graphs are presented so that trends and magnitudes are readily appreciated.