Wiktionary
n. (context physics English) A beam having a small cross section
Wikipedia
A microbeam is a narrow beam of radiation, of micrometer or sub-micrometer dimensions. Together with integrated imaging techniques, microbeams allow precisely defined quantities of damage to be introduced at precisely defined locations. Thus, the microbeam is a tool for investigators to study intra- and inter-cellular mechanisms of damage signal transduction.
A schematic of microbeam operation is shown on the right. Essentially, an automated imaging system locates user-specified targets, and these targets are sequentially irradiated, one by one, with a highly-focused radiation beam. Targets can be single cells, sub-cellular locations, or precise locations in 3D tissues. Key features of a microbeam are throughput, precision, and accuracy. While irradiating targeted regions, the system must guarantee that adjacent locations receive no energy deposition.
Usage examples of "microbeam".
On the fifth day, the microbeam was turned back on again, and by the sixth things were superficially back to normal, although in the tubes there was still a seething resentment that would certainly burst eventually.
As long as the precision goods and the microbeams came back from space, the same sort of benign neglect applied.