Detectors struck by calcium ions set off an
electron cascade that amplifies signal.
The result is the first step towards making a multi-layer membrane structure, in which each layer contains different elements that form part of an
electron cascade, and that work together to produce clean energy.
Muller notes that the ionization from a meteor can last a second or more, and that lightning in the clouds below can trigger an
electron cascade during that time.
In terms of their "relative biological effectiveness" -- or toxicity -- the
electron cascade is at least as damaging as X-rays, sometimes considerably more so, depending on the number of electrons in the cascade.