OPTICAL ELEMENT, LIGHT SOURCE DEVICE, AND PROJECTION DISPLAY DEVICE

摘要

Disclosed is an optical element (10) which has: a light guide body (11); a surface plasmon excitation means (14), which is provided on the interface to the light guide body (11), and which excites surface plasmon with a specific polarization component in light inputted from the light guide body (11), said specific polarization component having the polarization direction orthogonally intersect the first direction (y) within the surface of the light guide body (11); and a light generating means, which includes a metal layer (12) and a cover layer (13), and which generates light having the same polarization component as the specific polarization component, from the surface plasmon generated on the interface between the metal layer (12) and the cover layer (13) corresponding to the surface plasmon excited by the specific polarization component by means of the surface plasmon excitation means (14). The surface plasmon excitation means (14) is configured of a plurality of protruding sections (14a), which extend in the first direction (y), respectively, and are periodically arranged in the second direction (x) that orthogonally intersects the first direction (y).