Theory and model of the hyperacuity in the human eye

Abstract

The hyperacuity of the human eye may be defined as its known capacity to see small details far away from the limitations set by the number and size of the detectors it has. Basically, the problem consists in the fact that the image projected on the retina is blurred by the effect of diffraction, but instead of getting an image at poor detail the Human Visual System handles to obtain very fine details. In this sense, we consider the blurring prior to the detection stage a key for the hyperacuity in the human eye. This way, we could assume some blurring mechanism prior to the signal detection stage, knowing that afterwards, we may be able to restore the information just by reversing the intentionally introduced known blur at the detection process. Under certain conditions this blur may be compensated solving the appropriate inverse problem, and so, a much higher resolution image can be obtained. In addition to the explanation of the hyperacuity, we propose ideas on how this could leverage diverse applications. As a result of applying this paradigm, the angular resolution can be increased by even a magnitude and therefore enhancing the acuity on applications like imaging devices, radar systems, Terahertz technology…