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beam splitter
noun
: a mirror or prism or a combination of the two that is used to divide a beam of radiation into two or more parts
Examples of beam splitter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The recording system uses a beam splitter to separate the different types of light.
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Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2024
They can be made to do so with a beam splitter, a half-silvered mirror set at an angle that will, with equal probability, transmit a photon or deflect it by 90°.
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science.org, 10 June 2024
Physicists knew that this effect could be used to perform a single logical operation, or gate, on photons shot through a small maze of mirrors, beam splitters, and other optical elements.
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science.org, 10 June 2024
In the Rochester setup, laser light was measured and then shunted through a beam splitter.
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Zeeya Merali, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2023
The light passes through a beam splitter while boosted by an accompanying input laser, and then travels through another mirror while refracted by the spectrometer.
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Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2023
The necessary matrix multiplications can be done using three simple kinds of components: optical beam splitters, photodiodes, and capacitors.
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IEEE Spectrum, 21 June 2019
Quantum computation works with a series of mirrors, beam splitters, and prisms that alter the phase of photons to be mapped to 0s and 1s.
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Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 15 Feb. 2023
After the split light repeatedly bounces back and forth within each arm, the two beams then pass back through the beam splitter into a photodetector.
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Caitlyn Buongiorno, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2020
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Word History
First Known Use
1935, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near beam splitter
Cite this Entry
“Beam splitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beam%20splitter. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on beam splitter
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beam splitter
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