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
Chris uses a cube beam splitter to create the laser light show announcing the Tanning Invitational pool party that incurs Hathaway's wrath.
—
ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Beam splitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beam%20splitter. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share