Would it be possible for the energy in the coherent light beam to have that kind of effect on the radioactive material? I'm thinking they mean it excites the material so it's half life decreases so much that it burns itself out very quickly. Any other ideas out there?
My bullshit meter is pegged -- the physics is inconsistent and doesn't follow. While you can accelerate the decay of radioactive waste, it usually requires particle "radiation", not actual EM radiation (e.g. a laser). This is essentially what happens in fast breeder reactors -- you "burn up the radioactivity" very fast and convert it into useful energy, leaving very little radioactive waste. But it has absolutely nothing to do with EM radiation or lasers.