how can i "break" the laser beam into 10 beams

[alibaba2]

hi, is there a simple DIY way to split my red laser beam into 1o separte beams? some configuration of mirrors? if my laser diode is 10mw, after mirroring it into 10 beams ,does that mean each beam will be with 1mw power?

 

[randomer3]

Do you want 10 beams all going in the same direction?

If not you could buy a diffraction gratting which are pretty damn cheap

 

[alibaba2]

yes..i want the beams to be in one direction-parellel beams.
10x

 

[Jimmymcjimthejim]

As far as I know, having one laser turning into 10 parallel beams that have good divergence and diameter, is impossible. I am not sure how it would be done, the easiest thing to do would be to get a diffraction grating that will make a "cone" of beams.

 

[artix]

Is your laser a pen style laser like this one?

If so, you can get this.

 

[Cyparagon]

Why not use ten 5mW modules? $40. Any red beam split that many times or sent through that many optics will only be 5mW per beam anyway.

 

[GooeyGus]

I agree with cyparagon. BUT if you really want to do it using one, you could get some partially silvered mirrors so that a certain amount passes, and a certain amount gets reflected into the next pertially silvered mirror etc. But that would really be a pain in the ass and you will lose quite a bit of your 10mW to the optics. With 10 separate modules you will have much more power in your beams and it will be a lot easier and cheaper.

 

[alibaba2]

i guess it will be best to use more modules than try to break up the beam. and yes i use a lser pen pointer like pointed in tthe above topic.

10x

 

[jamilm9]

how about a diffraction grating which makes ten lines and then put a mirrors on each line

 

[Cyparagon]

^I thought about that, too. But most of the beams would have differing intensities.

Whoa, he's only got 10mW to begin with?? I was imagining a 300mW DIY or something of that nature. I missed that part... Yeah, this is optically unfeasible.

 

[Ace82]

I built the Predator's sight http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1211822319/0#0 just add 7 more!

 

[Switch]

Just out of curiosity , what do you want this for? :-/A laser field?

 

[Tw15t3r]

Getting a good (meaning REALLY REALLY narrow slits) diffraction grating would give you about the same intensity for each beam.

If you want a matrix of beams, get two diffraction gratings and put them 90 degrees to each other and shine the laser through. For a line of beams, use 1 diffraction grating.

Since they emerge as a cone of beams, get a converging lens to make them parallel. It'd be difficult work positioning the lens to make them parallel though.

 

[Switch]

you cant make them parallel with a lens, you'll also make each beam convergent to a focal point and divergent beyond that.

 

[Tw15t3r]

Really :-?? I thought diverging beams coming from a diffraction grating would end up parallel given the correct lens (i.e. correct power) and position that you place the lens at like the diagram below:

 

[Switch]

Nope, something like this would happen, since the individual beams are not made of a single line of photons. :

Just try it with a real laser beam and lens and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Just look at the center beam of your diagram.It looks like if you point a beam at the center of the lens it will maintain the same divergence and diameter like it passed through a flat piece of glass.Does that happen that way in reality? No. : That's because the lines in the simulator reprezent single photon trajectories, and what they would look like through a lens.