Particle accelerator project beams of energized particles against enemy ships to cause damage, while energy screens are capable of dissipating incoming beams.
The typical ship-mounted weapons in Stardust Empire are particle accelerators that project beams of atomic or subatomic particles to disrupt the target at a molecular level. They are large weapons, require massive power sources, and are mostly computer-controlled to take advantage of optimal firing solutions rather than a human taking pot-shots by eye. At outer space combat ranges, accuracy and effectiveness of a shot approaches a fifty per-cent hit rate.
Ships are hardened against beam weapons by armor plating, and on larger ships a technology known as "screens" are projected to dissipate the coherence and effectiveness of incoming beams. High-powered lasers are another defensive system employed on ships, capable of destroying or disabling rockets and missiles on approach.
Energy weapons appropriate for personnel use are a different story.