Abstract
In this article we propose a very simple scheme for detecting the state and the degree of entanglement of two modes of radiation using a beam splitter. We find that using this device we can tell whether the state coming out of a certain apparatus is maximally entangled, by measuring the intensity of the radiation of one of the modes. This result is independent of the transmittivity of the beam splitter. In some cases it is also possible to determine the state exactly, by measuring the dispersion of one of the modes.