::LCARS Technical Database:: Propulsion

[Narsil Brozgal]

Quantum Slipstream Drive-


The QSD is based on a totally different principle than warp, being more similar to the Borg's transwarp conduits. Quantum energies from a reactor in Engineering are funnelled to the main deflector array, which then opens up a "quantum slipstream" in a dimension below subspace (the geometry of which is not yet fully understood). Slipstream puts incredible stresses on a starship's hull, so special structural plating has been designed to reinforce the hull and work in tandem with a specialised integrity field. The mathematics of the theory had to be severely refined and improved upon to properly calculate the phase variances in the slipstream. This allows for a more stable passage and reduces the risk of structural failure. The quantum slipstream is actually a narrowly focused, directed warp field that is initiated by manipulating the fabric of the space-time continuum at the quantum level. It works by focusing a quantum field through a deflector dish that can generate massive changes in local space curvature; this creates something analogous to a subspace tunnel, which is projected in front of the vessel. Once a ship has entered this tunnel, the forces inside propel it at incredible speed. In order to maintain the slipstream a ship has to constantly modify the quantum field with its deflector dish; however, the calculations involved are extremely complicated and required a new branch of mathematics to be developed. Immensely sophisticated sensors also had to be developed to map the phase variances quickly enough for the engine to keep the slipstream stable

It was originally thought that due to the physics of QSD a ship would have to be made from scratch specifically for quantum slipstream. However, recent developments in Quantum Epitaxy Engineering have led us to believe otherwise. Slipstream space is not free and open in the same way as subspace or true-space, but must be traversed in the form of grooves or pre-laid paths. To change destination mid-journey one must alter the slipstream, which requires a great deal of care and more than a little extra energy. The slipstream has only one speed setting which cannot be increased or decreased at will. It is generally hoped, however, that this will change with future advances, and observations of alien slipstream-like technologies seem to bear this out. Some of the more recent slipstream theories have postulated that there are a number of accessible spatial "domains", with higher levels allowing exponentially higher speeds but requiring significantly more power to utilise. No empirical or rational evidence has yet been produced to back this up, though. Federation scientists didn't want to over-reach themselves, so work was concentrated on the stability and endurance of the drive rather than raw speed. The drive is therefore more comparable to that initially developed by the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant in 2374 - based on the technology of Borg Species 116 - rather than their later, more ambitious attempt in 2375 with benamite crystals.

One cannot "see" true-space whilst in slipstream, nor can a slipstream be detected from true-space except at the end-points. The ship's heading must therefore be carefully charted before entering slipstream. Local stars and gravity wells pose no risk to a vessel in slipstream since their effects do not interfere with QSD, unlike warp drive. Should a vessel "fall" out of the slipstream accidentally, this can have disastrous results. At best it causes helm control and shields to go offline due to quantum effects; at worst it results in the destruction of the ship. A great deal of care must therefore be taken when exiting slipstream and deactivating the QSD, much more so than with warp-drive. It is physically impossible to travel through slipstream with shields active, and weapons should be disarmed for safety reasons. Thankfully there is no need for navigational deflectors in slipstream, since there is no interstellar debris. Slipstream is "between" subspace and true-space, or "below" normal subspace, but not at the alternate universes level. A quantum energy field similar to a warp bubble is projected ahead of the craft and into slipstream space. This field is continuously generated by the craft to maintain the quantum slipstream, which then pulls the craft along the path. Unlike the warp bubble, which can be likened to a zero-dimensional subspace manifestation (when seen from subspace, say), the slipstream field is a one-dimensional (linear) manifestation of subspace. Stresses build up because of the fluctuating nature of quantum-level energy, "quantum cavitation". Warp drive is not used; the ship moves by manipulating the quantum energy field and using its impulse engines, bypassing the usual restrictions of warp-field geometries. The slipstream is large enough to accommodate more than one vessel, so a ship without a quantum drive can enter the slipstream and accompany the vehicle that is generating it. In order to initiate a controlled shutdown of a quantum drive, the field strength has to be reduced to 50 percent. This can be done by reversing the drive's polarity.

The necessary components for using QSD are:
• hull material capable of withstanding the quantum-level stresses of the slipstream
• a quantum matrix to produce the quantum field layer of slipstream space
• a proper emitter of the field (deflector array)
• sensors designed for slipstream space to adjust the field for phase variant imbalances and prevent premature collapse
• some form of "braking" impulse drive to automatically hold your position and attitude when exiting slipstream space

[Narsil Brozgal]

Warp Drive-


Warp drive works by distorting the fabric of space to propel the vessel. Simply put, the drive warps space, both in front of and behind a starship, allowing it travel faster than the speed of light. Specifically, spacetime is contracted in front of the ship and expanded behind it. The starship itself rests in a warp bubble between the two spacetime distortions. This warped space, together with the region inside it, accelerates off at "warp speed" and the vessel then "surfs" the wave in spacetime created by this distortion.

Travel at velocities exceeding the speed of light is possible in this fashion because the starship is, strictly speaking, stationary (relative to the space inside the warp bubble) while space itself is moving. Since space itself is moving and the starship is not actually accelerating, it experiences no time dilation, allowing the passage of time inside the vessel to be the same as that outside the warp bubble.

24th century Federation warp engines are fueled by the reaction of deuterium and antideuterium, mediated through an assembly of dilithium crystals, which are nonreactive with antimatter when subjected to high-frequency electromagnetic fields. This reaction produces a highly energetic plasma, called electro-plasma, which is channelled by magnetic conduits through the electro-plasma system (EPS). The warp plasma is funneled to plasma injectors into a series of field coils, usually located in remote warp nacelles, which generate the desired warp field. Other civilizations use different power sources, such as artificial quantum singularities, but the basic process is similar.

In some vessels, such as the Intrepid-class, the nacelles are mounted on variable-geometry pylons to allow them to travel at greater speeds without causing damage to subspace. Further advances in technology allow the most modern starships such as the Sovereign-class to feature newly redesigned warp nacelles that eliminate this need for variable-geometry nacelles while still obtaining the speed benefits

Parts Of The System
Antimatter containment -

Antimatter containment is the process whereby antimatter and matter are kept separated by the use of magnetic fields to prevent the oppositely charged particles from colliding, which would result in the mutual destruction of the matter and antimatter, along with a violent and explosive release of energy.
Antimatter containment is a key function of a starship warp core which uses both antimatter and matter, released in controlled and balanced amounts, to provide energy which powers the ship's warp drive.

Antimatter inducers -
Antimatter inducers are warp drive components associated with a starships consumption of fuel. The principal behind the component is that the more efficient the inducer is, the less fuel is consumed during warp flight.

Electro-plasma -

Galaxy Class Plasma Injector

In high-power mechanics, electro-plasma (also known as "Warp Plasma" or "Drive Plasma") is a super-energized plasma gas used to transfer energy from a central power source using magnetic conduit transfer. In matter/antimatter reactions, Dilithium controls the amount of power generated in the reaction chamber, which produces a steady stream of plasma. On Federation starships and outposts, as well as those of other major spacefaring species, electro-plasma is the main power transfer medium. Federation EPS (electro-plasma system) feed from warp cores on starships, fusion reactors on installations/starbases, or impulse reactors on non-warp spacecraft. Besides the large warp plasma conduits (power transfer conduits), there are smaller plasma conduits, with EPS taps that transfer power as electricity to all subsystems connected to the power transfer grid. If a plasma conduit or EPS tap becomes ruptured, the contents could set off a plasma fire.

Magnetic conduit -

A magnetic conduit is a high-intensity magnetic field with a cylindrical shape that is used to funnel electro-plasma, tripolymer plasma, anti-matter and many other type of high energy particles/anti-particles. It is an easy means of directing these resources to where they are needed, as most physical compounds would be vaporized on contact with such resources thus preventing cheap, easily obtainable materials from being used as conduits or containers.

Nacelle -

A nacelle is an outboard structure on starships which houses the warp coils, necessary components of warp flight. The warp coils create a subspace displacement field, which 'warps' the space around the vessel allowing it to "ride" on a spatial distortion, and travel faster than the speed of light.Aboard Federation vessels of the 24th century, warp coils are fed by plasma conduits from the warp core reactor assembly. Nacelles are usually separated from the main structure of the ship because of radiation generated by the nacelles; when at optimal levels, the radiation could be deleterious to the safety of ship and crew. Nacelles are separated from the ship by large pylons, and usually house a Bussard ramscoop at the fore end for the purpose of collecting hydrogen fuel to replenish the impulse engines.

Bussard Ramscoop-

All Federation starships are equipped with Bussard collectors, which are positioned in the best line of sight to collect particles. Collection works best in regions where particle density is high like solar systems or nebulae. The Bussard collector normally collects hydrogen, especially deuterium for fuel replenishment but can be reconfigured to collect various gasses like sirilium and plasma particles.

Warp Coils-


Warp coils are an integral part of a starship's warp drive. Mounted within the warp nacelles, the coils take the plasma generated by the warp core, and use it to create the warp field that allows faster than light travel. Warp coils are typically composed of cast verterium cortenide surrounding a core of densified tungsten-cobalt-magnesium.

Next to the matter/antimatter reaction that fuels warp plasma to the engine nacelles, the most important part of Federation warp drives is plasma coolant.

When the matter-antimatter reaction assembly combines deuterium and antideuterium within an energized dilithium crystal, the plasma generated is immensely powerful, and must be cooled by specially designed, yet hazardous, coolant compounds.

Plasma Coolant-

Plasma coolant maintains the warp core, cooling any heat safely away from the populated areas of the starship or outpost. It operates in the same manner any coolant is used in an engine. Without it, the engine systems could overheat or fail completely. Plasma coolant is considered a biohazard and will react violently with organic matter, liquifying it on contact.A coolant leak has been known to either cause or be the precursor to a warp core breach.


Power transfer conduit-

On a Federation Starship, a power transfer conduit (abbreviated PTC) is an advanced type of plasma conduit, used for carrying warp plasma from the vessel's warp core to the drive nacelles. The conduits are magnetically shielded against the superheated warp plasma, and are roughly 0.6 to 1 meter in width. Characteristically, the conduits emerge from the equatorial region of the matter-antimatter reaction chamber of the warp core, and from there travel aft through the ship until they turn 90 degrees, to port or starboard, through the nacelle pylons, before terminating in the plasma injectors and the warp plasma they are carrying is transfused into the warp coils. Along with carrying the warp plasma, the power transfer conduits also contain manifold links to the electro-plasma system (EPS), where electronic energy is bled off from the warp plasma in the form of microwaves, providing electrical energy for the vessel. A power transfer grid is a standard method of supplying power throughout a starship, space station or other installation. It transfers electricity from a source (usually a power converter fed by the EPS) to areas where it is needed using electrically-conductive wires or materials.

Warp Plasma Conduit-

A warp plasma conduit, more commonly referred to as an EPS conduit, is a specialized form of a magnetic conduit used aboard starships to direct incredibly high energy electro-plasma known as warp plasma or drive plasma from the warp core through the ship to the plasma injectors in the nacelle tube. Because of the increased volume of plasma being transported, these conduits are usually much larger in diameter than normal plasma conduits. Also, the magnetic field strength in a warp plasma conduit with be higher than a normal plasma conduit to contain the more highly charged warp plasma.

Dilithium-

Dilithium is an element, a member of the Hypersonic series, mostly occuring as crystalline mineral (known also by the longer formula- 2(5)6 dilithlum 2(:)l diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide). It is used in the warp drive systems of many starships. Dilithium regulates the matter/antimatter reaction in a ship's warp core, controlling the amount of power generated in the reaction chamber as the mutual annihilation creates a stream of electro-plasma.

Dilithium Articulation Frame -

The dilithium articulation frame holds the dilithium in alignment with the colliding matter/antimatter stream and is housed inside the matter-antimatter reaction assembly. The frame is housed behind the dilithium chamber hatch.The frame suspends the dilithum in the reaction chamber using a field effect to keep the crystal faces in alignment with the matter/antimatter streams. The correct alignment of the crystal faces and planes maximizes the efficiency of the plasma conversion that takes place. By the 2360s, the theta-matrix compositor was integrated with the articulation frame, allowing recrystallization to take place in the warp core with the core online.

[Narsil Brozgal]

Impulse Speed-


The impulse drive is a propulsion system used for sublight speeds. In Federation starships, the impulse drive is essentially an augmented fusion rocket, usually consisting of a fusion reactor, an accelerator-generator, a driver coil assembly and a vectored thrust nozzle to direct the plasma exhaust. The fusion reaction generates a highly energized plasma. This plasma, ("electro-plasma") can be employed for propulsion, or can be diverted through the EPS to the power transfer grid, via EPS conduits, so as to supply other systems. The accelerated plasma is passed through the driver coils, thereby generating a subspace field which improves the propulsive effect.