Can humans see beyond intensity images?

TL;DR

This paper explores whether humans can perceive high-order images formed by complex detector signals, potentially revealing new sensory capabilities beyond traditional intensity image perception.

Contribution

It proposes a method to test human perception of high-order images, suggesting a novel sensory channel and implications for understanding visual consciousness.

Findings

Potential for humans to perceive high-order images

New insights into visual consciousness mechanisms

Applications in sensing and communication

Abstract

The human's visual system detect intensity images. Quite interesting, detector systems have shown the existence of different kind of images. Among them, images obtained by two detectors (detector array or spatially scanning detector) capturing signals within short window times may reveal a "hidden" image not contained in either isolated detector: Information on this image depend on the two detectors simultaneously. In general, they are called "high-order" images because they may depend on more than two electric fields. Intensity images depend on the square of magnitude of the light's electric field. Can the human visual sensory system perceive high-order images as well? This paper proposes a way to test this idea. A positive answer could give new insights on the "visual-conscience" machinery, opening a new sensory channel for humans. Applications could be devised, e.g., head position sensing, privacy in communications at visual ranges and many others.