Light guide and image reading apparatus

A light guide extending along a longitudinal direction and having an arc-like outer shape portion at least in a part of a transversal cross section being a cross section along a transversal direction that intersects with the longitudinal direction, comprising:

• a light scattering portion formed on a side surface of the light guide along the longitudinal direction and for reflecting light guided inside the light guide;
• and
• a light emitting surface portion including at least a part of the outer shape portion and formed on a side surface along the longitudinal direction located opposite to the light scattering portion, and for emitting light reflected by the light scattering portion to the outside of the light guide, wherein,
• the light emitting surface portion is configured with a first light emitting surface portion and a second light emitting surface portion that are connected continuously along a plurality of inflection points arranged along the longitudinal direction, the first light emitting surface portion has a longer circumferential length than that of the second light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section, and a curvature of a circumference of the first light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section becomes larger as getting away from the second light emitting surface portion to increase a region of uniform illuminance in the transversal direction on a reading target of light emitted by the first light emitting surface portion and the second light emitting surface portion;
• and
• a normal line to the light scattering portion, passing through a center of the light scattering portion in the transversal cross section, is arranged so as to intersect with the first light emitting surface portion, and a point where the normal line intersects with the first light emitting surface portion is arranged in the circumference of the first light emitting surface portion at a near side to the second light emitting surface portion in the transversal cross section, and the inflection points are closer, along the transversal direction, to the second light emitting surface portion than the point where the normal line intersects with the first light emitting surface portion.