Etched glass could create table-top particle accelerators Two independent teams of physicists have used small pieces of glass etched with tiny gratings to accelerate electrons through enormous electric-field gradients. One team boosted the kinetic energy of the electrons at about the same rate as a conventional particle accelerator, while the other achieved 10 times that rate. The technology could one day be used to build table-top accelerators that are much smaller than conventional devices, bringing the benefits of particle-beam therapy to a wider range of cancer patients...
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2013/oct/03/etched-glass-could-create-table-top-particle-accelerators
