How stimulus shape affects lateral-line perception: analytical approach to analyze natural stimuli characteristics

We revisit the method of conformal mapping and apply it to the setting found in mechanosensory detection systems such as the lateral-line system of fish. We derive easy-to-use equations capable of describing analytically the influence of the stimulus shape on the flow field and thus on the input to the lateral line. The present approach shows that the shape of a submerged moving object affects its perception if its distance to a detecting animal does not exceed the object’s body length.