Optically anisotropic material, optical element and optical information writing/reading device

An optically anisotropic material obtainable by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition comprising at least 5 mol % of at least one polymerizable compound represented by the following formula (1):

• CH2═CR1—COO—K-Cy-Cy-L-OCO—CR2═CH2 (1);
• wherein R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a methyl group;
• K is —(CH2)pCOO— or —(CH2)qOCO—, wherein an etheric oxygen atom may be present in a carbon to carbon bond in an alkylene group and some or all of hydrogen atoms may be substituted by a fluorine atom or a methyl group (where p and q each independently represents an integer of from 1 to 12);
• L is —OCO(CH2)r— or —COO(CH2)s—, wherein an etheric oxygen atom may be present in a carbon to carbon bond in an alkylene group and some or all of hydrogen atoms may be substituted by a fluorine atom or a methyl group (where r and s each independently represents an integer of from 1 to 12);
• and
• Cy is a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group wherein some or all of hydrogen atoms may be substituted by a fluorine atom or a methyl group.