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Plane of polarization

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The topic plane of polarization is discussed in the following articles:
  • description

    TITLE: radiation
    SECTION: Double refraction
  • function of rhabdom

    TITLE: rhabdom
    Rhabdoms are capable of resolving wavelength and plane of polarization. The ability of bees to navigate using patterns of polarization in the sky instead of the Sun when the sky is overcast is due to the way the photopigment molecules are organized on the microvilli in the rhabdoms. A photon will only be detected if the light-sensitive part of the photopigment molecule lies in the plane of...
  • photoreception

    TITLE: photoreception
    SECTION: Wavelength and plane of polarization
    Although there is no further spatial resolution within a rhabdom, the various photoreceptors in each ommatidium do have the capacity to resolve two other features of the image, wavelength and plane of polarization. The different photoreceptors do not all have the same spectral sensitivities (sensitivities to different wavelengths). For example, in the honeybee there are three photopigments in...
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