Lasers nudge into nuclear medicine

Medical studies and treatments using short-lived radioactive isotopes typically require a nearby cyclotron, the bulky and costly particle accelerator that makes the fleeting elements.

Researchers from Japan, Russia, and the United States now have shown that a relatively cheap, tabletop laser can produce a medical isotope. However, the laser-generated quantities are so far too small for clinical use, says team member Anatoly M.