Comparison of the absolute sensitivity of a dark-adapted eye and an eye equipped with an electron-multiplying CCD camera

摘要

Based on a proposed model of the operation of the retina of a dark-adapted eye, the absolute sensitivity of the eye is calculated and is compared with that of a camera based on a cooled electron-multiplying CCD array. It is shown that the lowest observable brightnesses coincide in the two cases. The main factors that provide high visual sensitivity are indicated: a molecular light detector, a large detector area with a special noise-suppression system, and the absence of losses to scattering accompanying night vision. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America