Budding mad scientists intent on destroying the Earth by creating a local black hole have been limited by the need to construct giant super colliders like the LHC. But new research by the University of Maryland may open the door for portable particle accelerators for everyone to enjoy. The problem was the high energies required to get particles up to nearly the speed of light for the subsequent collision. Their research was able to accelerate particles using only the energy of a standard lightbulb using what is called a plasma wakefield acceleration. In a nutshell, the lasers are able to push particles in an electron free plasma (hydrogen) and create a wake that all subsequent particles ride in which permits achieving supercollider speeds in less than a meter.