OPTICAL ELEMENT, MANUFACTURE OF SAID ELEMENT AND POLARIZER, LINE FILTER, INFORMATION STORAGE DEVICE AND REFLECTOR COMPOSED OF SAID ELEMENT

摘要

PURPOSE: To obtain an optical element consisting of a spiral liquid crystalline material having reflection bands of linearly polarized light as a base material and a process for producing the same. CONSTITUTION: This element reflects the light with which its surface is perpendicular irradiated as the linearly polarized light parallel with the incident direction of the light for irradiation. This process for producing the element comprises irradiating the spiral liquid crystalline material contg. at least one kind of photoisomerizable materials with the linearly polarized light. As a result, the material is so oriented as to exhibit at least one of the reflection bands of the linearly polarized light at the time of the irradiation.