Here, we introduce and explore Scintillating Starbursts, a stimulus type made up of concentric star polygons that induce illusory scintillating rays or beams. We test experimentally which factors, such as contrast and number of vertices, modulate how observers experience this stimulus class. We explain how the illusion arises from the interplay of known visual processes, specifically central versus peripheral vision, and interpret the phenomenology evoked by these patterns. We discuss how Starbursts differ from similar and related visual illusions such as illusory contours, grid illusions such as the pincushion grid illusion as well as moiré patterns.

在这里，我们介绍并探索闪烁星爆，这是一种由同心星形多边形组成的刺激类型，可诱发虚幻的闪烁射线或光束。我们通过实验测试哪些因素（例如对比度和顶点数量）可以调节观察者体验此类刺激的方式。我们解释了错觉是如何从已知视觉过程的相互作用中产生的，特别是中央视觉与周边视觉的相互作用，并解释这些模式引起的现象学。我们讨论星爆与类似和相关的视觉错觉（例如轮廓错觉、网格错觉（例如枕形网格错觉）以及莫尔图案）有何不同。