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Updated: May 28, 2026

Desensitization and Recovery of Crayfish Photoreceptors Upon Delivery of a Light Stimulus

Desensitization and Recovery of Crayfish Photoreceptors Upon Delivery of a Light Stimulus

Published on: November 9, 2019

Crepuscular rays: laboratory experiments and simulations.

Stanley David Gedzelman¹, Michael Vollmer

¹Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA. stan@sci.ccny.cuny.edu

|October 22, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study simulates crepuscular rays, explaining how light scattering and atmospheric conditions like turbidity affect their appearance. Brighter, more distinct rays are observed under specific atmospheric optical thicknesses and aerosol conditions.

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Area of Science:

Atmospheric optics
Radiative transfer theory

Background:

Crepuscular rays, or sunbeams, are a common atmospheric optical phenomenon.
Understanding their formation requires knowledge of light scattering and atmospheric properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To simulate laboratory-generated and natural crepuscular rays using model simulations.
To investigate the influence of atmospheric turbidity, solar zenith angle, and aerosol properties on ray characteristics.

Main Methods:

Laboratory experiments using artificial fogs and milk-water solutions with parallel light beams.
Computer simulations of crepuscular rays under three distinct cloud configurations.
Analysis of light intensity, color, and brightness variations based on scattering, extinction, and optical thickness.

Main Results:

Laboratory light scattering shows an initial increase in intensity followed by exponential decay due to extinction.
Ray color and brightness vary with atmospheric turbidity (β), solar zenith angle (φ(sun)), and aerosol radius (r(aer)).
Optimal conditions for bright rays involve an optical thickness (τ) of approximately O(1) and specific turbidity and aerosol sizes.

Conclusions:

Model simulations accurately replicate laboratory and natural crepuscular ray phenomena.
Atmospheric conditions significantly modulate the visual characteristics of crepuscular rays.
The study provides insights into the physics governing the appearance of these captivating atmospheric light displays.