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Avian photoreceptor patterns represent a disordered hyperuniform solution to a multiscale packing problem

Author(s): Jiao, Yang; Lau, Timothy; Hatzikirou, Haralampos; Meyer-Hermann, Michael; Joseph, C. Corbo; et al

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dc.contributor.authorJiao, Yang-
dc.contributor.authorLau, Timothy-
dc.contributor.authorHatzikirou, Haralampos-
dc.contributor.authorMeyer-Hermann, Michael-
dc.contributor.authorJoseph, C. Corbo-
dc.contributor.authorTorquato, Salvatore-
dc.date.accessioned2020-10-30T18:29:03Z-
dc.date.available2020-10-30T18:29:03Z-
dc.date.issued2014-02en_US
dc.identifier.citationJiao, Yang, Lau, Timothy, Hatzikirou, Haralampos, Meyer-Hermann, Michael, Joseph, C. Corbo, Torquato, Salvatore. (2014). Avian photoreceptor patterns represent a disordered hyperuniform solution to a multiscale packing problem. Physical Review E, 89 (2), 10.1103/PhysRevE.89.022721en_US
dc.identifier.issn1539-3755-
dc.identifier.urihttp://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/pr1rz2r-
dc.description.abstractOptimal spatial sampling of light rigorously requires that identical photoreceptors be arranged in perfectly regular arrays in two dimensions. Examples of such perfect arrays in nature include the compound eyes of insects and the nearly crystalline photoreceptor patterns of some fish and reptiles. Birds are highly visual animals with five different cone photoreceptor subtypes, yet their photoreceptor patterns are not perfectly regular. By analyzing the chicken cone photoreceptor system consisting of five different cell types using a variety of sensitive microstructural descriptors, we find that the disordered photoreceptor patterns are “hyperuniform” (exhibiting vanishing infinite-wavelength density fluctuations), a property that had heretofore been identified in a unique subset of physical systems, but had never been observed in any living organism. Remarkably, the patterns of both the total population and the individual cell types are simultaneously hyperuniform. We term such patterns “multihyperuniform” because multiple distinct subsets of the overall point pattern are themselves hyperuniform. We have devised a unique multiscale cell packing model in two dimensions that suggests that photoreceptor types interact with both short- and long-ranged repulsive forces and that the resultant competition between the types gives rise to the aforementioned singular spatial features characterizing the system, including multihyperuniformity. These findings suggest that a disordered hyperuniform pattern may represent the most uniform sampling arrangement attainable in the avian system, given intrinsic packing constraints within the photoreceptor epithelium. In addition, they show how fundamental physical constraints can change the course of a biological optimization process. Our results suggest that multihyperuniform disordered structures have implications for the design of materials with novel physical properties and therefore may represent a fruitful area for future research.en_US
dc.format.extent022721-1 - 022721-13en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.relation.ispartofPhysical Review Een_US
dc.rightsFinal published version. Article is made available in OAR by the publisher's permission or policy.en_US
dc.titleAvian photoreceptor patterns represent a disordered hyperuniform solution to a multiscale packing problemen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
dc.identifier.doidoi:10.1103/PhysRevE.89.022721-
dc.date.eissued2014-02-24en_US
dc.identifier.eissn1550-2376-
pu.type.symplectichttp://www.symplectic.co.uk/publications/atom-terms/1.0/journal-articleen_US

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