An optical device for dividing a beam into two or more separate beams.A simple beamsplitter may be a very thin sheet of glass inserted in the beam at an angle to divert a portion of the beam in a different direction.A more sophisticated type consist of two right-angle prisms cemented together at their hypotenuse faces.The cemented face of one prism is coated ,before cementing,with a metallic or dielectric layer having the desired reflecting properties