Lambda 421

The Lambda 421 beam combiner is a new, patented, concept for combining separate light sources with different spectra into a single common output beam. Each separate light source is collimated before entering the optical path through a bandpass filter. The filters for each light source also function as mirrors that reflect the collimated beams from the previous light sources. Traditionally, combining more than two light sources required the use of a dichroic ladder. Dichroic mirrors, which switch from transmission to reflection at one point in the spectrum, allow the combining of separate light sources, provided that those sources do not have overlapping wavelengths. The downside of this approach is that light sources cannot be easily changed. Dichroic ladders also demand careful attention to the order in which the light sources are introduced into the optical path to avoid having the light blocked by the next dichroic in line. Typically, additional bandpass filters must be added in front of each light source before the dichroic, to select the desired range of wavelengths for each source. Each filter and dichroic used in the ladder decreases the total light output of the system.