Disclosed are an optical laminate and an optical display apparatus including the same. The optical laminate includes: a polarizer; and a retardation layer stacked on a light incidence surface of the polarizer, wherein the retardation layer includes a positive C layer, the positive C layer having an in-plane retardation of 0 nm to 30 nm and an out-of-plane retardation of −50 nm to −15 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm, and the in-plane retardation of the positive C layer at a wavelength of 550 nm and an absolute value of a tilted angle of a slow axis of the positive C layer with respect to a light absorption axis of the polarizer satisfy Relation 1.

Provided is an optically anisotropic layer with which an image display device having suppressed occurrence of oblique light leakage can be manufactured; and an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device, each having the optically anisotropic layer. The optically anisotropic layer is obtained by curing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition including a predetermined rod-like liquid crystal compound and a predetermined monofunctional compound, and immobilizing an alignment state of the rod-like liquid crystal compound, in which a number a1 of atoms of the rod-like liquid crystal compound and a number a2 of atoms of the monofunctional compound satisfy a relationship of Expression (1): 0.2<a2/a1≤0.68, and the rod-like liquid crystal compound is immobilized in a state of being vertically aligned with respect to the main surface of the optically anisotropic layer.

A pretilt angle of a liquid crystal molecule on the side of an array substrate is formed such that the liquid crystal molecule goes away from the array substrate in a direction to the left when viewed from a position facing a display surface of a liquid crystal panel. The pretilt angle on the side of a counter substrate is formed such that the liquid crystal molecule goes away from the counter substrate in a direction to the right when viewed from a position facing the display surface. The directions to the left and the right define a direction X corresponding to a horizontal direction of the liquid crystal panel. A direction of a delay phase axis of a biaxial phase difference film is arranged in a position rotated anticlockwise in an angular range from over 0° to 1° from the direction X.

Provided is a phase difference film formed of a resin containing a polymer having crystallizability. The phase difference film has an NZ factor of less than 1 and an in-plane retardation Re that satisfies 125 nm≤Re≤345 nm. The polymer has a crystallization degree of 15% or more. Alternatively, the polymer is an alicyclic structure-containing polymer being a hydrogenated product of a ring-opening polymer of dicyclopentadiene.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical laminate in which optically anisotropic layers exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility have excellent moisture-heat resistance, and the adhesiveness between a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer is excellent; and a polarizing plate and an image display device, each using the optical laminate. The optical laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention is an optical laminate having a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which both of the first optically anisotropic layer and the second optically anisotropic layer are directly laminated and consist of a liquid crystal layer, at least one of the first optically anisotropic layer or the second optically anisotropic layer exhibits reverse wavelength dispersibility, a photo-alignment polymer having a photo-alignment group and a fluorine atom or a silicon atom is present on a surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on a side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer, and an element ratio of fluorine or silicon on the surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on the side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer is 0.05% to 15.00% by atom.

The present application provides an optical film. By controlling transmittance of a liquid crystal layer comprising a radical initiator for the maximum absorption wavelength of the radical initiator, the present application can provide an optical film having a liquid crystal layer having excellent resistance to external stimuli and excellent optical properties. Such an optical film can have various forms and can be used in various fields.

An optical element is provided. The optical element includes a positive-C film including a liquid crystal (“LC”) layer. The optical element also includes a positive-A film. The optical element also includes a negative biaxial retardation film disposed between the positive-A film and the positive-C film.

Techniques are described for operating an optical system. In some embodiments, light associated with a world object is received at the optical system. Virtual image light is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system. A portion of a system field of view of the optical system to be at least partially dimmed is determined based on information detected by the optical system. A plurality of spatially-resolved dimming values for the portion of the system field of view may be determined based on the detected information. The detected information may include light information, gaze information, and/or image information. A dimmer of the optical system may be adjusted to reduce an intensity of light associated with the world object in the portion of the system field of view according to the plurality of dimming values.

A compound retarder that creates independent control of R.sub.e and R.sub.th. This can be done by forming a three-layer compound retarder, including a pair of matched −A-plates, combined with single +A-plate. The +A-plate is typically an MD-stretched film, with retardation that is specific to the in-plane requirements (R.sub.e) of the application. The pair of −A-plates have their optic axes crossed, such that R.sub.e=0, with an optic axis aligned parallel to the +A-plate. A single retardation value for the −A-plate can produce improved field-of-view performance over a broad range of R.sub.e values, making it a very practical means of universal compensation. While R.sub.th is typically associated with a single retarder, retarder stacks with a diverse range of optic-axis orientations can be considered to have a compound (or composite) R.sub.th value (R.sub.th.sup.c). The three-layer compound retarder has the practical benefit of enabling field-of-view compensation across a broad range of normal-incidence polarization transformations.

Polarization-based optical angle-filters disclosed herein can be engineered to transmit a prescribed amount of light as a function of incidence angle and azimuth. Such filters can transmit light without introducing artifacts, making them suitable for the image-path of an optical system. One example may include an angle-filter having an input circular polarizer, an analyzing circular polarizer, and a retarder positioned between the circular polarizers, the retarder having a thickness-direction retardation. The thickness-direction retardation of the retarder (R.sub.th) is selected to produce a prescribed angle-of-incidence dependent transmission function, and the circular polarizers reduce the amount of azimuth-dependence in the transmission function.