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Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for attenuating the beam of a laser. The apparatus is particularly suited for situations where a low powered aiming beam is necessary to be coaxially aligned with a full power working beam. The apparatus includes a refractive element having a pair of spaced-apart, parallel faces. A mounting arrangement is provided for selectively moving the refractive element into and out of the path of the full power laser beam. The refractive element is mounted such that when it is moved into the path of the laser beam, the beam will be split into primary and secondary beams. The primary beam will exit the refractive element along a path displaced from the incoming beam. The power of this exiting primary beam can be captured through a beam dump. The secondary beam is a product of at least two internal reflections within the refractive element. The secondary beam is highly attenuated and travels along the same path as the incoming beam. The secondary beam may be used for aiming since the full power beam will travel along the same path as the attenuated beam after the refractive element is moved out of its path.

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First Claim