Optical deflector, optical scanning apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An optical deflector for deflecting a plurality of laser beams separated from each other in a rotational axis direction of the optical deflector, the optical deflector comprising:

• a polygon mirror having multiple reflection surfaces arranged about the rotational axis direction;
• each of the multiple reflection surfaces is a plane of continuous material having a plurality of effective reflection areas separated from each other in the rotational axis direction by a non-reflective region;
• the plurality of laser beams incident on the polygon mirror are parallel, and the plurality of laser beams are perpendicular to a rotational axis of the polygon mirror;
• each of the multiple reflection surfaces includes a first effective reflection area, a second effective reflection area, and a middle area, the middle area including the non-reflective region which does not deflect any of the plurality of laser beams;
• and
• a distance, in which the first effective reflection area and the second effective reflection area are separated, is substantially equivalent to a distance between an upper laser beam and a lower laser beam of the plurality of laser beams.