Phase-locked beam splitting with continuously tunable intensity ratio using stochastic phase masks

We introduce a common-path beam splitter based on a randomly partitioned phase mask displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM).

By Redon, Gadeyne, Beaufort +6Nov 2, 2026

Score████░░░░░░4.4

Caveats

Preprint; not yet peer reviewed.

VerdictWorth a reader's time today.

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Abstract

We introduce a common-path beam splitter based on a randomly partitioned phase mask displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM). The SLM aperture is divided into square patches, each randomly assigned to one of three phase ramps that steer light to three independent foci: two phase-locked beams and a dump that takes up the surplus power. We observe the beams in the focal plane of a lens. The fractions of patches assigned to each ramp set the focal intensities, with the focus positions controlled by the ramp slopes.We first demonstrate experimentally that the intensity ratio between the two foci can be tuned from 0 to 1 without distorting either of the spatial modes, and with their relative phase constant to within a few tens of mrad. We then derive a closed-form expression for the ensemble-averaged focal intensity, which decomposes into coherent foci of the desired pattern and a speckle background whose shape and amplitude are set by the patch size. The model is validated against experiment and against numerical Fraunhofer propagation, with quantitative agreement over about three orders of magnitude in intensity. We also identify the patch size as the central design parameter and characterize its experimental bounds.

Melvin Redon, Titouan Gadeyne, Gaspard Beaufort, Saga Westerberg, Vartika Vishnoi, Peter Smorenburg, Anne-Lise Viotti, Thierry Ruchon, Cord L. Arnold

The editor's rubric

Heuristic review

Leverage3 / 5: A method or resource many groups across the field will adopt within a year.; 18% of this desk’s rubric
Magnitude3 / 5: Large gain: roughly 2x, or a clear new state of the art on a hard, unsaturated problem.; 20% of this desk’s rubric
Evidence3 / 5: Solid: multiple benchmarks or cohorts, ablations, fair baselines, released code or data.; 22% of this desk’s rubric
Novelty3 / 5: A genuinely new approach to an open problem.; 22% of this desk’s rubric
Trajectory2 / 5: Some room to improve with obvious engineering.; 10% of this desk’s rubric
Stakes2 / 5: Benefits a professional community (practitioners, clinicians, engineers).; 8% of this desk’s rubric

Dimension	Level	Weight	What that level means
Leverage	███░░3/5	18%	A method or resource many groups across the field will adopt within a year.
Magnitude	███░░3/5	20%	Large gain: roughly 2x, or a clear new state of the art on a hard, unsaturated problem.
Evidence	███░░3/5	22%	Solid: multiple benchmarks or cohorts, ablations, fair baselines, released code or data.
Novelty	███░░3/5	22%	A genuinely new approach to an open problem.
Trajectory	██░░░2/5	10%	Some room to improve with obvious engineering.
Stakes	██░░░2/5	8%	Benefits a professional community (practitioners, clinicians, engineers).

Editor’s rationale

Heuristic triage from title and abstract text only, not a reading of the paper. Cues found: method (we propose); gains (orders of magnitude); novelty (discovery); design (randomized); verification (experimental validation); scale (orders of magnitude).

How the score was computed

rank-2026-10-18

Score████░░░░░░4.4

Score = 10 × (75% × adjusted merit / 10 + 15% × attention + 10% × freshness)

Desks place stronger verdicts first, then use this score to order work within the same verdict.

Merit: 5.6 / 10; Weighted rubric, evidence-gated.
Adjusted merit: 4.7 / 10; Shrunk toward the desk prior by editor confidence (42%).
Attention: 0%; Citations, upvotes, points, mentions.
Freshness: 91%; Half-life decay since publication.

No attention signals recorded yet.

The record

Reviewed by heuristic-v10 on Nov 3, 2026, 07:29 UTC. Paper type: theory.
Categories: physics.optics
TOP, No.3 in the Physics edition of November 3, 2026.