Common aperture optical system and selective imaging method

1. An optical system, comprising:

a plurality of first optical subsystems configured to direct electromagnetic radiation;

a plurality of second optical subsystems configured to receive electromagnetic radiation;

a plurality of beam splitters, each beam splitter in said plurality of beam splitters being configured to be moveable such that each beam splitter in the plurality of beam splitters is capable of replacing another beam splitter in the plurality of beam splitters in order to reconfigure an optical path of said optical system;

wherein said optical system is configurable such that when each beam splitter in said plurality of beam splitters is optically disposed between said plurality of first optical subsystems and said plurality of second optical subsystems, electromagnetic radiation from a different optical subsystem in said plurality of first optical subsystems is substantially directed to said plurality of second optical subsystems, and electromagnetic radiation from remaining optical subsystems in said plurality of first optical subsystems is substantially blocked from said plurality of second optical subsystems.

2. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein a first beam splitter in said plurality of beam splitters is configured to transmit a first portion of electromagnetic radiation and reflect a second portion of electromagnetic radiation, and wherein a second beam splitter in said plurality of beam splitters is configured to reflect said first portion of electromagnetic radiation and transmit said second portion of electromagnetic radiation.

3. The optical system of claim 2 , wherein said first portion of electromagnetic radiation has shorter wavelengths than that of said second portion of said electromagnetic radiation.

4. The optical system of claim 2 , wherein said first portion of electromagnetic radiation has longer wavelengths than that of said second portion of said electromagnetic radiation.

5. The optical system of claim 2 , wherein the first beam splitter in said plurality of beam splitters comprises first optical baud pass coatings, and the second beam splitter in said plurality of beam splitters comprises second optical band pass coatings.

6. A light splitting device, comprising:

a plurality of light entry surfaces and a plurality of opposing surfaces;

a first optical band pass coating surface extending from a first one of the light entry surfaces to a first one of said opposing surfaces; and

a second optical band pass coating surface extending from a second one of the light entry surfaces to a second one of said opposing surfaces; wherein the first and second optical band pass coating surfaces are flat surfaces intersecting with each other at an angle; an intersection of the first and second optical band pass coating surfaces dividing the light splitting device into at least four regions; each of the first and second optical band pass coating surfaces extending from before the intersection to beyond the intersection;

wherein at least one of said first optical band pass coating surface and said second optical band pass coating surface intersects at least one of said light entry surfaces at a substantially perpendicular angle.

7. The light splitting device of claim 6 , wherein the light splitting device has a hexagonal cross section.

8. The light splitting device of claim 6 , wherein the first optical band pass coating surface is configured to transmit a first portion of an entry light beam, reflect a second portion of the entry light beam, and transmit a third portion of the entry light beam.

9. A selective imaging method, comprising:

receiving electromagnetic radiation from a first imager in a plurality of imagers;

separating the electromagnetic radiation into a plurality of portions, wherein each portion from the plurality of portions is redirected along a different direction from a plurality of directions;

wherein the separating is performed by a beam splitting device; wherein directions from the plurality of directions are determined by a configuration of the beam splitting device; wherein the beam splitting device is reconfigurable in order to reconfigure the separating;

the beam splitting device being reconfigured using at least one of translation, rotation, or tilting; and

substantially blocking electromagnetic radiation from the remaining imagers in the plurality of imagers wherein at least one of said first optical band pass coating surface and said second optical band pass coating surface intersects at least one of a number of light entry surfaces at a substantially perpendicular angle.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first and second optical band pass coating surfaces are flat surfaces crossing with each other by an angle.

11. A selective imaging method, comprising,

substantially receiving electromagnetic radiation from a plurality of sources;

substantially separating the electromagnetic radiation from each one of the plurality of sources into a number of portions from a plurality of portions; wherein the substantially separating is performed by a beam splitting device;

substantially directing each of the number of portions from the plurality of portions in a different direction from a plurality of directions; wherein the substantially directing is determined by a configuration of the beam splitting device; wherein the beam splitting device is reconfigurable in order to reconfigure the substantially separating; the beam splitting device being reconfigured using at least one of translation, rotation, or tilting; and

substantially receiving each one of the plurality of portions; wherein one or more of said sources are imagers wherein at least one of said first optical band pass coating surface and said second optical band pass coating surface intersects at least one of a number of light entry surfaces at a substantially perpendicular angle.