So that's a step towards particle weapons, right? :).

I'm only half-joking here. In my copious spare time, I sometimes wonder how one could approach building something resembling a phaser. The most recent question I've added to my "to investigate" list is, is there a way of sending energy (either as photons or via larger particles) that would avoid scattering off targets? Scattering is a problem with lasers - if you take one that's powerful enough to be interesting and use it in enclosed space, you'll get everyone in the room not wearing eye protection blind before the target starts to heat up.