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. 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°. 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. science.org, 10 June 2024 In the Rochester setup, laser light was measured and then shunted through a beam splitter. 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. 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. 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. 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. Caitlyn Buongiorno, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beam splitter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beam splitter was in 1935

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 12 Oct. 2024.

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