An optical device includes a liquid crystal layer having a first plurality of liquid crystal molecules arranged in a first pattern and a second plurality of liquid crystal molecules arranged in a second pattern. The first and the second pattern are separated from each other by a distance of about 20 nm and about 100 nm along a longitudinal or a transverse axis of the liquid crystal layer. The first and the second plurality of liquid crystal molecules are configured as first and second grating structures that can redirect light of visible or infrared wavelengths.

A flexible display apparatus includes a bending area and a non-bending area. The flexible display apparatus further includes a display panel and a polarizing structure disposed on the display panel. The polarizing structure includes a λ/4 phase retardation layer, a linear polarizer disposed on the λ/4 phase retardation layer, and a first adhesive structure disposed between the λ/4 phase retardation layer and the linear polarizer. The linear polarizer includes a stretched polymer film. The first adhesive structure is an adhesive layer with a glass transition temperature that is greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 150° C. Accordingly, deformation of the λ/4 phase retardation layer may be prevented or reduced when the flexible display apparatus is folded or bent, thereby improving display quality.

A method of manufacturing a thin film optical apparatus includes providing a substrate and applying an alignment layer over the substrate. The alignment layer ranges from about 50 to 100 nm in thickness. The method includes imprinting a hologram with a desired optic pattern onto the alignment layer and applying at least one layer of mesogen material over the alignment layer.

An object of the invention is to provide a photo-alignment copolymer capable of improving upper layer coatability after layer formation, a binder composition, a binder layer, an optical laminate, and an image display device. A photo-alignment copolymer according to the embodiment of the invention has a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group, a repeating unit B including a crosslinkable group which causes a crosslinking reaction by the action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base, and a repeating unit C including a cleaving group which decomposes by the action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base to produce a polar group, and the repeating unit C has the cleaving group on a side chain, and has a group of atoms which is provided on a side closer to a terminal than the cleaving group on the side chain to be able to unevenly distribute the photo-alignment copolymer on an air interface side.

A polarization modulator includes a first liquid crystal cell and a second liquid crystal cell. The first liquid crystal cell has a first type of liquid crystals configured to rotate an optical axis of light parallel to a first plane of the first liquid crystal cell. The second liquid crystal cell is configured to receive the light from the first liquid crystal cell. The second liquid crystal cell has a second type of liquid crystals configured to rotate the optical axis of the light perpendicular to a second plane of the second liquid crystal cell.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an imaging system includes: an image sensor including a plurality of subpixels grouped into a plurality of pixels; a polarization system including: a rotatable linear polarizer; and a polarizer mask including a plurality of polarizer filters, the polarizer filters being aligned with corresponding ones of the subpixels, the subpixels of a pixel of the plurality of pixels being located behind polarizer filters at different angles of linear polarization; and imaging optics configured to focus light from a scene onto the image sensor.

Provided are an optical film, a circularly polarizing plate, and an image display apparatus in each of which the occurrence of cracks is suppressed in the obtained film in a case of being punched. The optical film includes a stretched resin film and a liquid crystal layer formed by fixing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending along a direction in thickness, in which a δa value calculated using a three-dimensional solubility parameter of a resin in the stretched resin film is 8.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less, the liquid crystal layer contains a cured substance of a polyfunctional compound having two or more polymerizable groups in one molecule, and an absolute value of a difference between the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the polyfunctional compound and the δa value calculated using the three-dimensional solubility parameter of the resin is 4.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less.

An optical system includes a pancake lens assembly which has a lens unit and a liquid crystal device. The lens unit includes a partially reflective mirror, a reflective polarizer, and a quarter waveplate disposed between the partially reflective mirror and the reflective polarizer. The liquid crystal device is disposed between the quarter waveplate and the reflective polarizer. When a light is introduced into the pancake lens assembly in a Z direction, an X-polarized light passes through the liquid crystal device two times and a Y-polarized light passes through the liquid crystal device one time.

Provided are a polarizer having a high degree of alignment and an image display device including the polarizer. The polarizer of the present invention is a polarizer which is formed of a polarizer-forming composition containing a liquid crystal compound and a dichroic material, in which the liquid crystal compound and the dichroic material are horizontally aligned, and in an X-ray diffraction spectrum of the polarizer, at least one of a plurality of peaks observed in a diffraction angle range of 17° or less is a peak A in which an interval of a periodic structure corresponding to the at least one peak does not have an integer multiple relationship with an interval of a periodic structure corresponding to at least one of other peaks.

A display panel, a display device and a display method. The display panel includes a first microlens array, a pixel island array and a second lens. The pixel island array is configured to display a plurality of sub-original images. The first microlens array is configured to converge light emitted from the plurality of sub-original images so as to obtain imaging light, and the imaging light is capable of forming a first virtual image. The second lens is on a user viewing side of the display panel relative to the first microlens array, and the second lens is configured to converge the imaging light so as to obtain a second virtual image. The first virtual image is a virtual image in which the plurality of sub-original images are stitched and enlarged, and the second virtual image is an enlarged virtual image of the first virtual image.