OPTICAL IDENTIFICATION BODY AND PRINTED MATTER

Provided is an optical identifier (10) including a recording surface, a plurality of deflection cells each of which has recorded thereon a range in which light to be diffracted is deflected, at least one spatial phase modulator (14) which fills a space between the deflection cells on the recording surface, and a deposition layer which covers part or all of the recording surface. The deflection cells has a spatial frequency expressed in a form of a relief structure. The deflection cells are discretely formed on the recording surface at regular intervals away from each other. A variable color image is recorded by pixels defined by the deflection cells. The spatial phase modulator (14) has thereon a distribution of phase differences recorded in a form of heights of the relief structure. The spatial phase modulator (14) modulates a phase of light outputted from a point light source (b) and displays a reproduced image (d). The deflection cells diffract diffused light and deflect the diffused light by directional scattering, the deflection cells displaying the variable color image recorded in a form of heights of the relief structure.