Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes: a display panel comprising a plurality of first sub-pixels for a first field of view and a plurality of second sub-pixels for a second field of view; and a first polarization filter having blank regions corresponding to the first sub-pixels or the second sub-pixels. The blank regions have no light polarization property.

Abstract: There is provided a display device including a lens which guides light from a light source to a display surface, and a compensation member, having an inside surface opposite to a lens surface of the lens divided into a plurality of two-dimensional regions, in which a direction of an advance axis or a delay axis is controlled for each of the regions.

Abstract: An optical element and a use of the optical element are provided. The exemplary optical element can be useful in realizing a smart blind having excellent transmission and blocking characteristics in front and lateral surfaces thereof without using a retardation film by employing a polarizing layer whose polarization characteristics are patterned using a guest/host-type dye layer including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound and a dichroic dye. Such an optical element may be applied to various light modulating devices such as smart blinds, smart windows, window protective films, flexible display elements, active retarders for displaying a 3D image, or viewing angle adjustment films.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

Abstract: Cutting a workpiece with a laser beam includes using the laser beam to melt and/or vaporize at least a portion of the workpiece, and moving at least one of the workpiece and the laser beam relative to one another to form a cutting front on the workpiece, in which the laser beam includes either at least two different radially polarized beam portions offset relative to each along an advancing direction of the laser beam, or multiple laser beam strips extending along the advancing direction of the laser beam. Each laser beam strip has a different linear polarization direction, and the advancing direction corresponds to a direction along which the workpiece is cut by the laser beam.

Abstract: A bidirectional Cartesian-cylindrical converter system and method for converting the spatial distribution of polarization states include a radial polarization converter capable of receiving a linearly polarized, spatially uniform, polarization distribution beam in order to convert it into a beam having a radial or azimuthal distribution of polarization states about an axis of symmetry. An optical device compensates for the phase shift induced by the radial polarization converter and is capable of introducing a spatially uniform phase shift to compensate for the phase shift introduced by the radial polarization converter.

Abstract: Provided are a circular polarizer and a reflective liquid crystal display including the same. The circular polarizer includes a polarizer comprising a polarizing film in which an absorption axis has an angle of about 85° to about 95° with respect to a liquid crystal alignment direction of a liquid crystal cell, where, in CIE coordinates, a color “a” is about ?1 to about ?0.6 and a color “b” is about 0.3 to about 2.5 and a ¼ wavelength plate in which an optical axis has an angle of about 130° to about 140° with respect to the liquid crystal alignment direction of the light crystal cell. When the circular polarizer is used, the visibility and color tone of the reflective liquid crystal display may be improved.

Abstract: A system and method for modulating and displaying optical effects includes a lighting device (BV) and at least one displaying object (DO) located outside the lighting device. The lighting device (BV) includes at least one input polarization unit (POE) for influencing polarization, in particular in a location-dependent manner, and at least one modulation unit (OME) for influencing polarization and/or retardance, in particular in a time-dependent and/or location-dependent manner. The displaying object (DO) includes at least one object retarder unit (POB) for influencing retardance, in particular in a location-dependent and/or time-dependent manner, the at least one object retarder unit being suitable for reversibly or irreversibly impressing a piece of image information, and an output polarization unit (PE).

Abstract: A polarization-modulating optical element consisting of an optically active crystal material has a thickness profile where the thickness, as measured in the direction of the optical axis, varies over the area of the optical element. The polarization-modulating optical element has the effect that the plane of oscillation of a first linearly polarized light ray and the plane of oscillation of a second linearly polarized light ray are rotated, respectively, by a first angle of rotation and a second angle of rotation, with the first angle of rotation and the second angle of rotation being different from each other.

Abstract: An optical system is able to achieve a substantially azimuthal polarization state in a lens aperture while suppressing loss of light quantity, based on a simple configuration. The optical system of the present invention is provided with a birefringent element for achieving a substantially circumferential distribution or a substantially radial distribution as a fast axis distribution in a lens aperture, and an optical rotator located behind the birefringent element and adapted to rotate a polarization state in the lens aperture. The birefringent element has an optically transparent member which is made of a uniaxial crystal material and a crystallographic axis of which is arranged substantially in parallel with an optical axis of the optical system. A light beam of substantially spherical waves in a substantially circular polarization state is incident to the optically transparent member.

Abstract: A light transmissive panel comprising a first sheet and a second sheet, wherein each sheet is made up of a non-birefringent substrate and a wire grid polarizer pattern of continuously varying absorption axis orientation formed on the non-birefringent substrate. The wire grid polarizer patterns on each of the first and second sheet are mechanically translatable relative to each other, wherein the mechanical translation controls transmission of light through the light transmissive panel. Light transmissive panels wherein each sheet of the panel is made of a wire grid polarizer that is laminated with a continuous variable thickness wave plate retarder, wherein the continuous variable thickness wave plate retarder rotates input light by an amount determined by the thickness of the wave plate retarder.

Abstract: A light polarization control apparatus includes a linear polarized light generation device for generating a linearly polarized light ray; and a pair of first and second four-division type half-wave plate located at front and back positions of a light axis, each said half-wave plate having a surface divided into four regions by a couple of boundary lines crossing together at right angles, wherein the linearly polarized light ray is guided to pass through said pair of first and second four-division type half-wave plate to thereby divide this light ray into eight areas each having its polarization state as converted to any one of a azimuthally polarized state and a radially polarized state.

Abstract: The conversion of linear polarized light into radial-polarized light is accomplished through a radial polarization generator containing multiple layers of polarizing film, or polarization converters, for converting the beam of light to a different orientation. Using the radial polarization generator, a quasi radial-polarized beam of light can be obtained quickly and easily by simply aligning the light at the center of the polarization generator. True radial-polarization can be obtained by passing the laser through a spatial filter. With such a radial polarization generator, a large frequency range of light may be converted from a linear orientation to a radial orientation.