摘要 |
A scanning optical system includes a light deflector and a light emitter which emits a beam of light which scans a scanning surface along a main scanning direction. The beam of light emitted by the emitter is incident onto the light deflector as a non-convergent beam of light in the main scanning direction. Further, an optical element which has a reflecting surface is utilized as an f theta element. The optical element includes a first surface onto which light from the light deflector is incident, and from which light transmitted through the optical element is emitted and a second surface which is provided with a reflective surface thereon. Further, at least the second surface of the optical element is shaped so as to have no rotational axis and to not be rotationally symmetrical about an optical axis. Additionally, at least one surface of the optical element is tilted with respect to an axis perpendicular to the beam of light incident thereon. Further, the optical axis of a surface of the optical element can be shifted (i.e., decentered) in an auxiliary scanning direction, transverse to the main scanning direction, with respect to the optical axis of the scanning optical system.
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