Abstract: Provided are a wavelength selective switch capable of dealing with a broadband wavelength range with reduced crosstalk and an optical cross-connect device including the wavelength selective switch.

Abstract: A fingerprint recognition sensor having an excellent S/N ratio and capable of realizing thinning and an optical element including the fingerprint recognition sensor. The fingerprint recognition sensor includes a light-receiving element; and an optical element including a near infrared absorbing dichroic substance, in which a fingerprint reading surface is positioned on a side of the optical element opposite to the light-receiving element side. The optical element has an absorption axis with respect to near infrared light in an in-plane direction. When linearly polarized light of near infrared light orthogonal to the absorption axis is radiated from a normal direction of the optical element and from a direction inclined by 45° from the normal direction at an azimuthal angle orthogonal to the absorption axis, an absorbance during the radiation from the direction inclined by 45° from the normal direction is more than an absorbance during the radiation from the normal direction.

Abstract: An object is to provide an optical coupling system having a simplified structure and a small size and an optical communication device using the optical coupling system. The object is achieved by an optical coupling system that couples a multi-core fiber and coupled devices to each other using a combination of a polarized light beam control element facing a light incident and emission surface of a multi-core fiber and a polarization-selective diffraction element that is positioned on a side of the polarized light beam control element opposite to the emission surface of the multi-core fiber and that faces the coupled devices.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a multiplexing optical communication system including a simple and high-efficiency optical system can be provided. The optical communication system includes an optical transmitter, a transmission path, and an optical receiver, in which the optical transmitter includes a polarized light source, a polarizing plate, a patterned retardation plate that converts light from the polarized light source into a plurality of optical vortices, a modulator, and a multiplexer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a volume hologram element that is capable of diffracting light having different wavelengths and has less optical loss. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image display apparatus including a volume hologram element. A volume hologram element has a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, and has a thickness equal to or greater than 10 ?m, the volume hologram element has a non-hologram region and a hologram region that surrounds the non-hologram region in an in-plane direction, a plurality of interference fringes each of which selectively diffracts light having a different wavelength are formed in the entire hologram region, and all of the plurality of interference fringes have no discontinuous portions in the hologram region.

Abstract: A polarized light irradiation device of the present disclosure has: a light source unit which continuously emits polarized light; a light shaping unit which shapes the polarized light emitted from the light source unit into a preset shape to irradiate an irradiation target object with the shaped polarized light; a transport mechanism which transports the irradiation target object relative to the light source unit; and an interlocking mechanism which periodically and continuously changes a direction of linearly polarized light applied to the irradiation target object or an azimuthal angle of elliptically polarized light applied to the irradiation target object according to an amount of transport of the irradiation target object relative to the light source unit by the transport mechanism.

Abstract: A lighting device that can switch between intensity distributions of emitted light with a simple configuration. The lighting device includes a light source, a polarization controller, and a polarizing plate, in which the polarization controller switches light emitted from the light source between light components having two or more different polarization states to be incident into the polarizing plate, and the polarizing plate functions as a diffraction grating that has two or more regions having different polarization states of transmitted light in an in-plane direction and where one or more regions among the regions are periodically disposed.

Abstract: A fingerprint recognition sensor having an excellent S/N ratio and capable of realizing thinning and an optical element including the fingerprint recognition sensor. The fingerprint recognition sensor includes a light-receiving element; and an optical element including a near infrared absorbing dichroic substance, in which a fingerprint reading surface is positioned on a side of the optical element opposite to the light-receiving element side. The optical element has an absorption axis with respect to near infrared light in an in-plane direction. When linearly polarized light of near infrared light orthogonal to the absorption axis is radiated from a normal direction of the optical element and from a direction inclined by 45° from the normal direction at an azimuthal angle orthogonal to the absorption axis, an absorbance during the radiation from the direction inclined by 45° from the normal direction is more than an absorbance during the radiation from the normal direction.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device capable of easily detecting an eye gaze. The object is achieved by providing an image display optical system; an infrared light source that irradiates an eyeball of a user with infrared light; a hologram element that transmits infrared light emitted by the infrared light source and reflected by the eyeball of the user; and an infrared light image sensor that images infrared light transmitted through the hologram element, in which the hologram element acts on infrared light without acting on visible light and emits reproduced infrared light with an intensity distribution in a plane direction corresponding to an eye gaze of the user.

Abstract: A black structure includes a black layer and a light transmitting portion in a same plane, in which the black layer has a fine uneven structure having a period of 380 nm or less on a surface of the black layer on the viewing side, and a surface of the black layer opposite to the surface having the fine uneven structure is bonded to a base material. A self-luminous image display device includes a self-luminous image display panel and the black structure.

Abstract: Provided are an image display apparatus; an image display system; a head-mounted display, and a patterned polarizer. The image display apparatus includes a light receiving section having sensitivity in an invisible range; an image display panel having a substrate and a plurality of pixels disposed thereon; and an emission surface that emits a luminous flux in a visible range, in which the light receiving section receives only invisible light in light incident into the image display apparatus through the emission surface, and is provided between the emission surface and the image display panel, on the image display panel, or on a side of the image display panel opposite the emission surface, and disposed at a position overlapping the image display panel viewed from a direction perpendicular to the emission surface, and a near infrared polarizer is provided between the light receiving section and the emission surface.

Abstract: According to the present invention, provided are a liquid crystal film for three-dimensional molding from which a three-dimensional molded body which is excellent in reproducibility of image light can be obtained during image light irradiation, a three-dimensional molded body, and a method of manufacturing the three-dimensional molded body. A liquid crystal film for three-dimensional molding includes: a substrate; and a functional layer, the functional layer includes a liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal layer is made from a liquid crystal composition, and a rubbing haze variation of an outermost surface of the functional layer is 0.80% or less.

Abstract: A polarized light irradiation device of the present disclosure has: a light source unit which continuously emits polarized light; a light shaping unit which shapes the polarized light emitted from the light source unit into a preset shape to irradiate an irradiation target object with the shaped polarized light; a transport mechanism which transports the irradiation target object relative to the light source unit; and an interlocking mechanism which periodically and continuously changes a direction of linearly polarized light applied to the irradiation target object or an azimuthal angle of elliptically polarized light applied to the irradiation target object according to an amount of transport of the irradiation target object relative to the light source unit by the transport mechanism.

Abstract: Provided is a laminate exhibiting excellent reverse wavelength dispersibility, a circularly polarizing plate, and a display device. The laminate includes a first optically anisotropic film and a second optically anisotropic film, in which both of the first optically anisotropic film and the second optically anisotropic film have a slow axis in an in-plane direction, a maximum absorbance X in a wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm in a slow axis direction and a maximum absorbance Y in a wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm in a fast axis direction of the first optically anisotropic film are different from each other, and the slow axis of the first optically anisotropic film and the slow axis of the second optically anisotropic film are parallel with or perpendicular to each other.

Abstract: A black structure includes a black layer and a light transmitting portion in a same plane, in which the black layer has a fine uneven structure having a period of 380 nm or less on a surface of the black layer on the viewing side, and a surface of the black layer opposite to the surface having the fine uneven structure is bonded to a base material. A self-luminous image display device includes a self-luminous image display panel and the black structure.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an optical laminate which has excellent workability in the production of a polarizing plate and is capable of suppressing the occurrence of cracks in the polarizing plate, a polarizing plate, a method of manufacturing the polarizing plate using the optical laminate, and an image display device having the polarizing plate. An optical laminate according to the invention has a polarizer, an optical anisotropic layer, and a masking layer in this order, and hardness HB of the masking layer and hardness HA of a layer adjacent to the optical anisotropic layer side of the masking layer satisfy Expression (1): HA×0.5?HB?HA×2??(1).

Abstract: Provided is a wavelength conversion film-forming composition which forms a wavelength conversion film by being applied to a substrate to form a coating film and curing the coating film, the wavelength conversion film-forming composition including at least quantum dots, a volatile component, and a binder that is soluble in the volatile component and/or a binder precursor that is soluble in or compatible with the volatile component, in which the wavelength conversion film-forming composition is gellable in the presence of the volatile component.

Abstract: Provided is a wavelength conversion member including: a wavelength conversion layer including at least one kind of quantum dots that are excited by excitation light to emit fluorescence and are dispersed in an organic matrix; and a barrier layer that is provided adjacent to at least one main surface of the wavelength conversion layer and includes silicon nitride and/or silicon oxynitride as a major component, in which the organic matrix is obtained by curing a curable composition including at least an alicyclic epoxy compound and includes a chemical structure A which is bonded to silicon nitride and/or silicon oxynitride as a major component of the barrier layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a horizontal alignment-type liquid crystal display device including a viewing-side polarizing plate; a liquid crystal cell; a backlight-side polarizing plate; and a backlight, in this order, the liquid crystal cell includes a liquid crystal layer held between two substrates, at least any one of the substrates is a resin substrate, the polarizing plate provided on the resin substrate side includes a gas barrier film including a phase difference layer and an inorganic layer, and a polarizer, and the gas barrier film is on the resin substrate side with respect to the polarizer. In the horizontal alignment-type liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, thinning based on the use of the resin substrate is effectively realized, and a liquid crystal cell can be sealed.

Abstract: The optical film of the present invention is an optical film including a thermoplastic resin, in which the optical film has a moisture permeability of 70 g/m2/day or less (in terms of a film thickness of 40 ?m), and contains a moisture permeability-reducing compound having a molecular weight of 200 or more and satisfying Formula (1) described below. Formula (1) A/B?0.9 (A represents a moisture permeability of an optical film in a case in which 10 mass % of the moisture permeability-reducing compound is added to the mass of the thermoplastic resin, and B represents a moisture permeability of an optical film in a case in which the thermoplastic resin is included and the moisture permeability-reducing compound is not added.