US 12717154 B1 / Aug 25, 2026

Optical device for beam combination in heterodyne interferometers and polarimeters and its use

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for laser diagnostics systems (e.g., systems and methods for beam combination in heterodyne interferometers and polarimeters). For instance, a laser beam combiner, including a modulator and a wedge combiner, may be implemented in a heterodyne dispersion interferometer. In some cases, a modulator receives laser light (e.g., the laser light having a combination of a vertical polarization component and a horizontal polarization component) and the modulator shifts a frequency of the laser polarization components relative to the other. A wedge combiner having an index of refraction, and the wedge combiner comprises a mirror surface coating a and transmissive surface coating configured to effectively combine different polarization components of the laser light using transmission and reflection techniques, according to embodiments described herein.