Free electron lasers (FEL) are a potentially effective countermeasure against antiship cruise missiles and other threats. Because an FEL's photons—the concentrated particles of light composing the laser beam—have the potential to be powerful enough to destroy cruise and ballistic missiles many miles away, FELs are called the "Holy Grail" of military lasers. The U.S. Navy's Free Electron Laser weapon system was developed by a collective effort headed by the Boeing Company, in partnership with academia, industry partners, and U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, including Los Alamos National Laboratory, its Accelerator Operations Technology Division and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. For more infomation, see "Blasting Missles Out of the Sky" in the February issue of National Security Science: <a href=www.lanl.gov/science/NSS/issue1_2012/story5.shtml "/>

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