1. Different beam types

At first glance, the characteristics of the particles mentioned above seem very far apart. In fact, their use to treat or transform matter involves energy levels that are ultimately quite similar, and whose comparison enables us to better understand the operating mechanisms of the most complex techniques. To highlight this aspect, table 1 presents a number of typical particle characteristics. Please note, however, that some of these data are based on calculations, simplified assessments or average values. Only orders of magnitude should be considered for comparison purposes. We can see, for example, that the energy densities for a particle impacting a solid (particles used for surface treatment) are fairly close to each other, typically ranging from 1 to 1,000 kJ/m ² (this range may...