X-ray radiation is used at beamlines of the synchrotron light sources for a variety of spectroscopies (XAS, XANES, EXAFS, µ-XRF, µ-XRD) in order to probe and to characterize the structure and the chemical speciation of solids and biological materials. Particle therapy Energetic particle beams consisting of protons, neutrons, or positive ions (also called particle microbeams) may also be used for cancer treatment in particle therapy. Astrophysics Many phenomena in astrophysics are attributed to particle beams of various kinds. Solar Type III radio bursts, the most common impulsive radio signatures from the Sun, are used by scientists as a tool to better understand solar accelerated electron beams. Military The U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency started work on particle beam weapons in 1958. The general idea of such weaponry is to hit a target object with a stream of accelerated particles with high kinetic energy, which is then transferred to the atoms, or molecules, of the target. The power needed to project a high-powered beam of this kind surpasses the production capabilities of any standard battlefield powerplant, thus such weapons are not anticipated to be produced in the foreseeable future. See also Electron beam Ion beam Jet References Accelerator physics pt:Feixe (física)