Method of producing anisotropic optical element

A method of producing an anisotropic optical element having optical properties that are anisotropic with respect to a direction of a normal to an element plane, comprising the steps of:

• applying flatwise, to a substrate to form thereon a film, a polymerizable cholesteric liquid crystal having a first phase transition temperature that is a transition point at which a transition from a cholesteric phase to an isotropic phase on a higher-temperature side occurs and a second phase transition temperature that is a transition point at which a transition from the cholesteric phase to a phase on a lower-temperature side occurs,
• raising a temperature of the film formed on the substrate to a temperature equal to or more than the first phase transition temperature,
• causing a transition from the isotropic phase to the cholesteric phase of the liquid crystal in the film and orienting the liquid crystal in such a manner that a mean direction of directions of helical axes in liquid crystal domains in the film is tilted relative to a direction of a normal to a film plane, by lowering the temperature of the film to a temperature equal to or less than the first phase transition temperature, with a gas blown, from a predetermined direction, on the film whose temperature has been raised to the temperature equal to or more than the first phase transition temperature, and
• polymerizing the liquid crystal in the film with the liquid crystal in the film maintained at the cholesteric phase.