Relativistic electron beams (REBs) are streams of electrons moving at relativistic speeds. They are the lasing medium in free electron lasers (FELs) to be used in atmospheric research conducted at such entities as the Pan-oceanic Environmental and Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) at the University of Hawaii and NASA.

It has been suggested that REBs could be used to heat and accelerate the reaction mass in electrical rocket engines that Dr. Robert W. Bussard called Quiet Electric Discharge Engines (QEDs).

References

See also

• PEARL Lab @ UHawaii
• Applying REBs for the development of high-powered microwaves (HPM)