Provided is an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, and a display device, which have a high contrast and excellent light fastness. The optically anisotropic film includes a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic substance, in which the liquid crystal compound is vertically aligned, the dichroic substance forms an arrangement structure, and in a case where, in a cross section observed with a scanning transmission electron microscope, a length of a major axis of the arrangement structure is defined as L, and a length of a minor axis of the arrangement structure is defined as D, 16 or more arrangement structures satisfying L≥30 nm are observed per 40 μm.sup.2.

A device includes a display configured to generate an image light. The device also includes a waveguide optically coupled with the display and configured to guide the image light to an exit pupil of the device. The waveguide includes a grating including a birefringent material, and a birefringence of the grating is configured to increase along a pupil-expanding direction of the device.

A liquid crystal cured layer formed of a cured product of a liquid crystal composition, wherein the liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having a reverse wavelength dispersion property, and a copolymer containing a monomer unit A including a monovalent group containing an aromatic ring and a monomer unit B containing a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group optionally having a substituent, a main chain mesogen of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound in the liquid crystal cured layer is oriented at a tilt angle of 85° to 90° with respect to a layer plane of the liquid crystal cured layer.

Provided is a method for producing a light absorption anisotropic film having a three-dimensional shape and having excellent alignment, which is capable of manufacturing a light absorption anisotropic film having a high degree of polarization even where a three-dimensional shape is provided by heating molding. The method includes a step of producing an intermediate laminate having an optical coating film formed using a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystalline compound and a dichroic substance, and an alignment film; a step of heating the intermediate laminate produced by the film forming step to impart a three-dimensional shape; an aligning step of aligning a liquid crystalline component included in the optical coating film in the intermediate laminate imparted with the three-dimensional shape by the heating molding step to produce a light absorption anisotropic film; and a step of curing the light absorption anisotropic film produced by the aligning step.

A liquid crystal composition containing a side-chain liquid crystal polymer, a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and a photopolymerization initiator, wherein the side-chain liquid crystal polymer contains a constitutional unit which is represented by the following general formula (I) and a liquid crystal constitutional unit which contains a side chain including a liquid crystal moiety: ##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical laminate in which an alignment defect is less likely to occur in a light-absorbing anisotropic layer even in a case where a surface of a photo-alignment layer is rubbed; an optical laminate; and an image display device. The method for manufacturing an optical laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical laminate in which an optical laminate including a photo-alignment layer and a light-absorbing anisotropic layer and having a front transmittance of 60% or less is produced and which includes a photo-alignment layer formation step of forming a photo-alignment layer on a polymer film, and a light-absorbing anisotropic layer formation step of applying a liquid crystal composition containing a dichroic substance and a high-molecular liquid crystalline compound onto the photo-alignment layer to form a light-absorbing anisotropic layer.

The present invention provides a compound by which high refractive index anisotropy Δn and inhibition of colorability can be compatible. The present invention further provides a composition including the above-mentioned compound, a cured object, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film. The compound of the present invention is represented by General Formula (1). ##STR00001##

Provided is a composition for forming a polarizer from which a polarizer with an excellent surface state can be formed, a polarizer, a laminate, and an image display device. The composition for forming a polarizer includes a polymerizable liquid crystal compound which has two or more rings selected from the group consisting of an aromatic ring and an alicyclic ring and two polymerizable groups and exhibits a liquid crystal state of a smectic phase, a monofunctional polymerizable compound which has two or more rings selected from the group consisting of an aromatic ring and an alicyclic ring and one polymerizable group, and a dichroic material, in which the number of atoms NA of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound and the number of atoms NB of the monofunctional polymerizable compound satisfy Expression (1), 0.35≤NB/NA≤0.65 (1).

A nanoparticle film is disclosed. The nanoparticle film comprises a plurality of polymerized liquid crystal monomers having an axis of alignment, and a plurality of nanoparticles disposed in the polymerized liquid crystal monomers. Each of the nanoparticles has a surface modified by a plurality of first ligands and a long axis aligned with the axis of alignment through the plurality of first ligands.

A multifunctional liquid crystalline photoreactive polymer in which at least some of the polymer side-chains have an ultraviolet photoreactive moiety and at least some of the polymer side-chains have a calamitic mesogenic moiety are provided. At least some of the polymer side-chains have a photo-curable moiety a thermal-curable moiety. In some embodiments, the polymer is in the form of a co-polymer. In some embodiments, the polymer is in the form of a ter-polymer. The polymer is used in applications that require stable birefringement films. Such films are produced from the polymer by subjecting the polymer to ultra-violet light to cause side-chain cross-linking thereby inducing anisotropy. The anisotropy is then amplified by exposing the polymer to an elevated temperature.