Patent ID: 8267521

Claim:
An optical element comprising: a dichroic surface that transmits, out of light of a first color, light of a second color, and light of a third color which are different in color from one another, the light of the first color and the light of the second color and reflects the light of the third color, thereby leading the light of the first color and the light of the third color out of the light of the three colors to a specific optical path; a polarized beam splitter surface that transmits, out of a first polarized light and a second polarized light of which polarization directions are orthogonal to each other, the first polarized light and reflects the second polarized light; and three incident surfaces from which the light of the first color, the light of the second color and the light of the third color are respectively incident, wherein the dichroic surface and the polarized beam splitter surface being disposed so as to cross each other, wherein the light of the second color of the second polarized light is led to the specific optical path by the polarized beam splitter surface.