[[ImageFicheiro:Calf-Eye-Posterior-With-Retina-Detached-2005-Oct-13.jpg|thumbminiatura|150px|rightdereita|ChoroidDisección dissecteddun fromollo de tenreira, Retirouse a calf'sretina eye(gris, amontoada abaixo) para que se vexa o ''tapetum lucidum'' appearing iridescent blue(azul).]]
TheO ''tapetum lucidum'', whichao isser [[iridescentiridescente]], reflectsreflicte lighta roughlyluz ondebido thefundamentalmente aos principios de [[InterferenceInterferencia (wavepropagación de propagationondas)|interferenceinterferencia]] principles ofda [[thin-filmóptica opticsde película fina]], ascomo seense inobserva othernoutros iridescenttecidos tissuesiridescentes. HoweverPorén, theas células do ''tapetum lucidum'' cellsconsideradas areindividualmente son [[Chromatophore#Iridophores and leucophoresCromatóforo|leucophoreleucóforo]]s, notnon [[Chromatophore#Iridophores and leucophoresCromatóforo|iridophoreiridóforos]]s.
TheO ''tapetum lucidum'' isé aun [[retroreflector]] ofdo thetipo [[transparencyde and translucency|transparent]]esfera [[sphere]] typetransparente. BecauseComo ité is aun retroreflector, itreflicte reflectsa lightluz directlydirectamente backcara alongatrás thena lightdirección pathda luz. ThisIsto servesserve topara matchfacer thecoincidir originala andluz reflectedorixinal light,e thusa maintainingreflectida thee sharpnessasí andmanter a contrastagudeza ofe thecontraste imageda onimaxe thena retina. TheO ''tapetum lucidum'' reflectsreflicte withcon [[InterferenceInterferencia (wavepropagación propagationde ondas)|constructiveinterferencia interferenceconstrutiva]],<ref name="Locket1974"/> thuso increasingque theincrementa quantitya ofcantidade lightde passingluz throughque thepasa a través da retina. In theNos catgatos, theo ''tapetum lucidum'' lowersfai thediminuír minimumá threshold6ª ofparte visiono 6-foldlimiar mínimo da visión, allowingpermitindo theque cato toanimal vexa con moi pouca luz, seecoa lightque thatnon ispodería invisiblever toun humanser eyeshumano.<ref>{{cite journal |author=GUNTER R, HARDING HG, STILES WS |title=Spectral reflexion factor of the cat's ''tapetum'' |journal=Nature |volume=168 |issue=4268 |pages=293–4 |date=August 1951 |pmid=14875072 |doi= 10.1038/168293a0|url=http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v168/n4268/abs/168293a0.html |accessdate=2008-09-12}}</ref>
