The particle beam itself is analogous to a natural phenomenon with which we are all familiar--the lightning bolt. The analogy is so close that particle-beam pulses are referred to as "bolts." The particles in a lightning bolt are electrons (an electric current) flowing from a negatively charged cloud to a positively charged cloud or section of the earth. While the electric field in lightning that accelerates the electrons is typically 500,000 volts per meter, these electron velocities are still less than that desired in a particle-beam weapon. But the number of electrons (electric current) in the lightning bolt is nominally much greater. In any case, the phenomenon and its destructive results are very much the same.
(I guess I'll just talk to myself on this thread. That's fine. I understand. This stuff is about as brutal and gritty as it gets. The perfect timing of the shuttle disaster boosts GWBush's numbers...people actually think he's some kind of hero because of the event. He's fixing to kill hundreds of thousands in the Middle East, so do you think he wouldn't kill seven people in a shuttle? I hope the photos make it public...that sure sounds like a Particle Beam Weapon)