They operate with coherent or incoherent light, splitting by intensity, wavelength, or polarization. Plate beamsplitters are flat with coatings, while cube beamsplitters use prisms. They are like the “traffic directors” of light. Without them, many optical setups would not function properly. This Beamsplitters Selection Guide outlines the core types of beamsplitters, explains how they work, and provides practical advice for. A beam splitter is an optical component that splits an incoming light beam into two parts: one part is transmitted through the beam splitter, and the other part is reflected.