Patent ID: 7081997

Claim:
A method of producing a collinear beam of electromagnetic energy having two constituent parts, comprising: [a] providing multiple primary beams of electromagnetic energy from multiple sources, each of the multiple primary beams having substantially the same orientation of a chosen component of electromagnetic wave field vectors; [b] altering the orientation of the chosen component of the electromagnetic wave field vectors of a plurality of portions of each of the primary beams of electromagnetic energy by passing each of the primary beams of electromagnetic energy through a respective one of a plurality of altering means whereby the orientation of the chosen component of the electromagnetic wave field vectors of the plurality of portions of each of the primary beams of electromagnetic energy is altered in response to a stimulus means by applying a signal means to the stimulus means in a predetermined manner; [c] [i] combining a first set of altered primary beams to a first combined altered beam of electromagnetic energy; and [ii] combing a second set of altered primary beams to a second combined altered beam of electromagnetic energy; [d] [i] resolving from the first combined altered beam of electromagnetic energy a first resolved beam of electromagnetic energy having substantially a first orientation of a chosen component of electromagnetic wave field vectors and a second resolved beam of electromagnetic energy having substantially a second orientation of a chosen component of electromagnetic wave field vectors; and [ii] resolving from the second combined altered beam of electromagnetic energy a first resolved beam of electromagnetic energy having substantially a first selected predetermined orientation of a chosen component of electromagnetic wave field vectors and a second resolved beam of electromagnetic energy having substantially a second selected predetermined orientation of a chosen component of electromagnetic wave field vectors, and [e] merging one of the resolved beams of electromagnetic energy from the first combined altered beam of electromagnetic energy with one of the resolved beams of electromagnetic energy from the second combined altered beam of electromagnetic energy into a single collinear beam of electromagnetic energy.