Practical Transwarp drives in the 25th century, by Andrew Comb
This document has been written by Andrew Comb. Since he did not write this for ST Frontier Fleet, there may be inconsistencies with other information about transwarp in this section of the database (which is adapted to fit our game, this document isn't).
Prelude
Transwarp is one of the exotic terms used in Startrek to illustrate the speed of a vessel. While there are always several interpretations, by fans and even the designers of the show, it's still pretty much a grey area in terms of the show. What I will try to do is lay out several of the suggested theories of how Transwarp drives work and belay many of the myths and confusing areas that have abounded.
Warp Physics 101
Space is a vast and almost infinite expanse of black, 99% of which is almost entirely empty, other than a few stray particles of hydrogen (though interestingly this is not necessarily true if you take quantum fluctuations and dark energy into consideration).
Einstein originally postulated that as a body travels towards the speed of light it's mass would increase, and therefore the amount of effort needed to push it to a faster velocity would also increase, up to the point of the speed of light when mass would become infinite. This is the nub of general relativity which is the single biggest limiting factor on traveling to the stars. Space is big, Huge in fact, for example - the closest star to our own is over 4 light years from us. That translates to 4 years traveling at the speed of light, so even if we were able to circumvent Einstein's rule and travel at the speed of light, it would still take us 4 years to get to the Proxima Centauri. There would also be another limiting factor with this as well; The other part of the theory is that time slows down the closer to the speed of light you are. This is in essence because that law cannot be broken so time within a body moving at significant speed will be slower relative to everyone else. Ok so this is giving you a headache, I digress, let's move on.
So how is traveling faster than the speed of light achieved then you might ask, well the answer is surprisingly simple. While there is a defined limit on the speed of matter or energy within the universe, there is no defined speed of space it's self; The universe it's self expands faster than the speed of light relative to it's self.
The principle of Warp drive is like imagining that you are walking still on a conveyor belt. you will be walking faster than a person walking on the ground (assuming he is walking in the direction of your travel ;-) and therefore a person in this manner can circumvent the speed of a person walking. In this sense Warp drive creates a region of space around which space time is distorted asymmetrically around it. So how is this created? Using vast quantities of energy! In much the same manner as a Quantum singularity (black hole) distorts space time and curves space time around it's self.. if you had an asymmetrically shaped quantum singularity, it would move pretty fast ;-)
It is also interesting to note that under this model acceleration also ceases to be such a hurdle, as when traveling at 'relativistic' speeds, since in essence you are not actually moving, within the relative paradigm of your personal region of space. (though the creation of the distortion effect is largely imperfect so this is not totally true and some acceleration forces can be felt).
The Subspace continuum
Moving on to 22nd century physics. While it is possible (and indeed it does happen today) to produce large quantities of energy through the production of antimatter. Mathematically the numbers for spatial distortion of this magnitude still outweigh the production. Much like the Einsteinian sidestep however, a greater understanding of the way in which space time is glued together in the 22nd century has allowed vessels to circumvent or bend these laws using subspace.
In essence Subspace, when viewed from a higher dimensional perspective is a construct onto which the space time universe is constructed, it exists parallel to our own dimensions. The Physicals laws of Subspace are radically different to our own and so therefore the speed of light or physical mass are no longer a constant. However it also has to be noted that subspace matter and energy cannot exist within our universe, nor can space time matter or energy exist within a subspace paradigm. Energy or matter released from one paradigm to the other tend to decay creating effects, such as spacial distortions, or temporal displacements (in the case of Chroniton particles).
As a Technical note; Matter and energy particles from subspace are usually referred to as Tetrions and our matter as Barions. Examples of these include Verterons, Chronitons, Dechions 'subspace particles'. It is not possible for a starship or any known Barionic matter to enter the subspace continuum, without either being transformed into subspace particles (as in the case of warp drives, covered later) or being encased within a chunk of space time, as with warp drives.
Because Subspace is a paradigm beyond our sense of space time, time and space and even quantum reality can be bridged through subspace, without otherwise impossible expenditures of space time energy. Early CDP engines (continuum distortion propulsion) did not rely so much on subspace techniques as it was a barely understood science, however tunneling through Subspace is effectively the starting principle of Transwarp Mechanics, though I will cover this with more detail later.
Subspace speeds
Subspace from our perspective is seen as consisting of layers, as it interacts with the physical universe. It is the layers between subspace strata which for the effective barriers in modern CDP engines, in much the same way as the space time speed limit is a barrier. it is also a fluid medium and is not in the same relative shape to our universe. For example you can imagine subspace like a river estuary, there are some areas which can be easily traversed, some which give you a positive push (as in the main channel) and sandbars, or narrow rivulets which are harder to traverse. In terms of a vessel this means more or less energy to achieve the same effect.
Originally Warp engine designers used the simple denotation of the number cubed as an indicator of speed (the original series scale) for example - warp 3 would be 27 times the speed of light - or warp 5: 125 times the speed of light, and fractions in between and so on. However as subspace theory and practice grew in Federation Science, and a greater use of subspace energies and effects were used, it was found that this scale was not very representative. As you accelerated from warp 1 the energy required increased greater than it should and then dropped off at a peak transitioncy threshold. Further research revealed a further 8 of these peak transition thresholds. This was translated into a new scale rated from 1-10. On a practical basis it meant that traveling at warp 4.9 requires more energy than traveling at warp 5, meaning it would always be preferable to travel at such speeds in terms of efficiency.
This is a more practical scale than the old one, since it relates to the amount of energy expended on the propulsion (rated in Cochranes, named after the inventor of warp drive on Earth) rather than a pure measure of speed alone. It made engines easier to rate in terms of energy production was a known constant, but speed could not be guaranteed in all circumstances, owing to variations in subspace.
As you approach warp 10 things become more interesting. Acceleration largely becomes no longer a constant and rapidly takes off, however so does the energy required! At warp 10 (theoretically) you occupy in all space and time at the same moment. This is called the Transwarp threshold. there is a good deal of confusion in this area, however I have to state here and now: If you are traveling at Transwarp speeds you are not traveling at infinite speeds, you have simply bypassed the Transwarp threshold. Now on the surface this is confusing, how can you be traveling faster than an infinite speed? However, if you think about it, from a relativity perspective, for anything larger than a massless particle, traveling at the speed of light is infinite speed. It is simply a barrier to traveling at much greater speeds, without having to expend huge quantities of energy, as would be required for speeds in the region of warp 9.99999999999999 etc..
Passing the Transwarp barrier (and no I don't mean like the great barrier at the edge of the galaxy from TOS ;-) it's self however in and of it's self is a huge problem. Fundamentally it is a question of lag. technically the main factor in not being able to travel much past the 9.9999 range is due to the lag of the physical universe its' self. Traveling at superluminal velocities, using warp drive, causes you to warp space around you, however you are still more or less still in real space, because the amount of energy used to totally displace the entire mass of the vessel and it's real space bubble would be immense, and is effectively the barrier for Transwarp travel.
The principles of Warp Mechanics
The basic components of a warp drive consist of.
1. A warp core - a device which liberates a vast quantity of energy from an antimatter matter reaction.
2. Warp Nacelles - using this energy to generate the effect of spacial warping.
Now the Specifics of this can vary quite a bit, between the space faring races, for example the Romulans use a captured quantum singularity drive. The shape and distribution of the warp nacelles themselves also varies quite significantly, however in Terms of the Federation a twin nacelle design is the most efficient.
However using the example of Starfleet vessels. Matter and Antimatter are stored in large pods, which are injected into the warp core to undergo a reaction where they meet. The design and layout of the MARA (matter antimatter reaction assembly) has changed somewhat since it's invention (the earliest forms of warp drives simply used fusion reactors). Initially the earliest warp cores consisted of a similar format to a fusion reactor: a round ball designed to contain the reaction using powerful magnetic shielding. As this advanced the assembly became more linear, into the form we see today: where above is mounted the matter assembly, in the form of super cold Deuterium (semi solid at around -270 degrees c - just above absolute 0) and below is the antimatter, in the form of it's counterpart anti deuterium, which has to be held in magnetic bottles (because if it touched the sides, space ship go bye bye).
The much vaunted Dilithium crystal comes in at the key stage of the reaction. Once the Matter and antimatter are mixed it is very hard to control this reaction, and the huge energy release they produce, as it is an almost total matter to energy conversion. The Matter and antimatter are both focussed towards the centre towards the reaction chamber, using a series of magnetic irises. The antimatter is directed, through the Dilithium crystal and the reaction takes place just on the tip of the crystal, where the antimatter emerges. Since at this point the crystal is angled at 45 degrees to the reaction this creates a stream of energy which is directed towards the Nacelles. Now you may be thinking, hang on, why isn't the crystal vaporised, when the antimatter touches it? Dilithium crystals have an extremely unusual property in that the lattice of the crystal, when energised allows antimatter particles to pass through it without touching the sides as it were. Microscopic magnetic fields repulse the particles, much like the way it is stored.
Early forms of warp cores did not have Dilithium crystals and therefore had to limit the amount of particles injected to tiny amounts, limiting speeds to below warp 5 (on the old scale) as the reaction could not be controlled so precisely.
Once this energy is created, it is directed down the primary EPS conduits - which again are essentially toroidal magnets, designed to hold the energy, without touching, towards the Nacelles.
This is where it gets complicated (as if it wasn't already! ;-) The Nacelles are a row of paired split toroids. if you can imagine a U above another U - so they form a circle with a gap in between. The Toroids are made from a special type of superconducting material known as Vertinium Cortenide, which creates a very unusual effect. When the plasma stream is injected between the toroids, it spectrally shifts into the subspace domain. Depending on the firing sequence of the individual coil this creates a bubble of subspace energy which expands rapidly in an asymmetric way. The field is usually designed so that it creates a forward and backward lobe, which encompass the two halves of the ships (explaining the unusual plan form of Federation Vessels). This pulse has the effect of displacing the ships mass partially into subspace. The pulses are fired in a extremely rapid sequence. Each energy bubble pushes on the previous one, pushing the ship further into subspace, but while relatively the ship is still within real space, just separated by folds in space, the energy distortion I was speaking of earlier.
The reason the The ship is designed with two pairs of split toroids means that in essence the ship has 4 sets of generators: So that different timing frequencies and energy distributions mean that the field can be shaped into allowing the ship to turn, making Federation ships highly manoeuvrable at warp. This is more difficult to attain with mono nacelled starships. However there is a limit to the timing frequency and at high warp speeds it becomes much harder to have the pulses occur so frequently: the other reason for the warp 10 threshold: the Physical limitations of the technology.
Wormholes or not wormholes?
In classical physics a Wormhole is formed between two spatial singularities, where space and time are distorted in such a way that the shortest distance between two points becomes zero. The energy required to produce such a wormhole is infinite (though a Black hole is quite capable of doing this trick ;-)
However with the use of subspace physics these tunnels can be formed, though in a real sense they are not true wormholes, in the classical sense, but are actual wormholes, being that they tunnel through subspace and vastly shorten the distance between two points. However I digress with semantics here.
As an example the Bajoran Wormhole is truly a Verteron driven tunneling phenomenon, it is not a true wormhole, in that the distance between the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants are not reduced to zero. The phenomena it's self is not truly understood, but it is phenomena such as this that have opened up avenues of exploration in bypassing the limitations of warp drive. This is because in essence the Bajoran wormhole represents something which can bypass the warp 10 barrier, into the Transwarp subdomain.
Verterons, as discussed before, are a form of Tetrion, and a number of conduit based phenomena can be caused by them. Indeed The Federation, in early experiments was able to create short lived Verteron tunnels, in the form of geodesic folds, by distorting the magnetosphere of a red giant star, and directing the distortion to another similar, distant star. However the usefulness of these conduits was limited by the fact that geodesic radiation is lethal to life. That coupled with the fact that Verterons can interfere hugely with Electroplasma based systems, causing shorts and explosions, meant all you could do was send signals, as in the Pathfinder mission to contact Voyager.
Wormholes, rifts, spatial folds and other such phenomenon remain the greatest goal to aspire to, as a wormhole has the potential to span multiple galaxies, not just one!
There have been a number of natural recorded phenomenon, some stable, such as the Bajoran Conduit, and many unstable, the Barzan Wormhole being a good example. Wormholes tend to be short lived, caused by unusual gravitational flux, solar flare activities or supernova's. However a series of conduits known as the Vaduar subspace undercoridoors was discovered by the USS Voyager on its' journey home. This appeared to be a highly stable network, though this may be because it did not appear to interact with real space and had no space time apertures.
Onward to Transwarp
Ok, I think I am filibustered enough, onwards to functioning Transwarp Drives.
In early Starfleet experiments into Transwarp, the most famous of which being the Excelsior as early as the late 23rd century, proved to be failures. However the knowledge gained from these experiments proved instrumental in improving the use of subspace warp drives which are still in use today.
While there has been one recorded example of a true Transwarp drive, it is still to be realised in technology. As with most technologies in this era, the barrier is simply bypassed.
The first working Transwarp technology studied by the federation was that of the Borg. The Borg created a series of Transwarp conduits to allow them to travel across the galaxy. Similar in many ways to a wormhole, they have one key difference, they do not need to travel in a straight line and fundamentally you can use them as a drive system, rather than be limited by pre laid pathways, though initially early Borg Transwarp drives were just that.
There are several ways to describe Transwarp conduits, but the most descriptive is a quantum slipstream drive. The process uses a coil assembly which when fitted to a deflector array, enlarges a quantum aperture in subspace, essentially ripping open a hole into the Transwarp domain. This slipstream is then kept open by a modulated pulse from the Deflector array. The process is extremely energy intensive and involves aggressive mathematical calculations, and it took many years to perfect functioning and practical quantum slipstream drive systems for Starfleet vessels.
Going back to my previous point in the Warp physics 101, The nature of subspace drives means they do not create a perfect bubble around the ship, there is a falloff from the centre outwards. This effectively means that the vessel is not necessarily traveling at the same speed in all locations. This effect is offset by the use of hull polarisation and structural integrity fields, which compensate for these field differentials, though the failure of a nacelle at high warp would almost certainly mean the ship was ripped apart (though again the saturated and layered nature of the field means it could be modulated and shaped for just long enough to drop the ship out of warp.
Within the slipstream conduit this effect is greatly magnified, and the quantum stresses on the hull can be far too great, for vessels not designed specifically to counter these. Vessels designed for use in a quantum slipstream tend to take a more mono form approach, and pointy at the front, so they slip down it easier and have less bits to snap off under the strain!
When traveling within a slipstream conduit the vessel is completely removed from space time, residing in a space time tunnel held open by the deflector array, or specifically designed drive unit. These conduits, depending on how they are created, can remain stable and stay open for an extended period, for other vessels to travel along. Indeed the Borg maintained a vast network of such conduits for a period. One benefit of slipstream drive is that space time is no longer an obstacle! While subspace is connected to space time, and indeed some objects like super heavy stars and quantum singularities distort the subspace continuum, technically a starship traveling in a Transwarp conduit could pass through a star unimpeded (Just hope the conduit doesn't collapse!)
The thorny issue - speeds
Transwarp speeds are somewhat of a thorny issue. There is somewhat of a debate as to weather to label them above 10 or not, I leave that up to you. However Transwarp velocities have been found to have a similar structure to warp velocities... I.e. they tend to go from 1-10 (or 11-20 if you prefer)
Indeed studies into deep subspace structures, and theoretical quantum theory predicts that there are multiple subdomains. Indeed, the Bajoran Wormhole passes through this third impossible barrier!
Practically the earliest devices can travel at around Transwarp factor three. the fastest speeds yet set have been on the USS Indefatigable's experimental drive system at around five, Much like in the early days of Warp! There is a long way to go before Starfleet can get to the gamma quadrant without the Bajoran Wormhole!
The primary limiting factor for Transwarp velocities however is that of energy output. Only the most advanced vessels have warp cores which can create sufficient energy to open and maintain the slipstream. many of the earliest Transwarp capable vessels had to charge up the Transwarp emitter before they were able to create the rift, for several hours before hand. However one of the benefits of Slipstream conduits is that the opening of the rift is the most energy intensive process.
Glossary and common terms
As with most things there becomes a finite point before I cannot explain anything without using complex scientific terms, many of them coming from science today, however here are a number of them to help out.
Antichroniton> Is the negatively charged particle pair to a Chroniton. it has the reverse effect in stabilising quantum flux and collapsing temporal rifts.
Antimatter> Antimatter put simply is matter with a reverse electrical charge. Examples of which are positrons: the reverse of electrons, antiprotons: the reverse of Protons. Antimatter is a tool for use in star travel because contact with an equal particle of matter results in total annihilation of both particles. This is the most powerful explosive force known as the result is almost 100% matter to energy. Today Antimatter is produced in linear accelerators tens of kilometres long, which use electromagnets to pull particles to approaching light speed and the resulting collisions are extremely energetic, causing anomalies such as Antimatter. By the 25th century antimatter is produced much more practically and efficiently, however it still wastes vast quantities of energy to produce.
Barionic matter> Is the type of matter viewed in the universe we live and perceive. Essentially what is known as 'positive matter' such as protons neutrons and electrons, which make up all known elements.
Black hole> See Quantum Singularity.
Chroniton> A Chroniton is a form of Tetrion which facilitates time travel. As with all Tetrions, they are short lived within the space time continuum, and on their decay they create short quantum displacements outside of linear time. With sufficient quantities of these particles, the effect is magnified and they can create a spatial rift backwards of forwards in time, however it can be highly unstable.
Dechyon> Is a particle which mediates the quantum interactions of Chronitons and Antichronitons. This particle is often left as a measurable Dechyon field after a temporal displacement, or quantum shift. They are also an indicator of a causality loop, as they are a subspace particle outside of the normal laws of space time. Dechion is also an old scientific term for non Tachyon particles, but there are generally referred to Barionic or Bradyonic particles.
Deflector array> Any space faring vessel traveling at significant speeds will run into microscopic particles and high energy rays, as it travels though space. The function of the Deflector array is to deflect these microscopic particles away from the ship. Even stray atoms of Hydrogen, when impacting a vessel at superluminal velocities would be sufficient to erode the hull! it is a form of Forcefield technology, which is deployed at a long range from a vessel, at a low power.
Dilithium Crystal> full name 'forced-matrix formula 2<5>6 Dilithium 2<:>1 diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide' has an unusual internal crystal matrix, when energised allows particles of antimatter to pass through it allowing for more controllable matter antimatter reactions.
EPS Conduit> Electro Plasma System is a the Startrek equivalent of the mains electricity. Electroplasma is the result of warp core or fusion reactor - is essentially protons and electrons stripped of their bonds, and in a highly energetic state. Much like today, this is stepped down in terms of power for different devices.
Fission> Fission is the reaction that powers nuclear reactors. Super heavy elements such as Plutonium and Uranium shed their excess mass over a period of time, however in a fission reactor this process is accelerated, liberating vast amounts of energy. These forms of reactions can become unstable, since cascade reactions can occur, as energy released can trigger an adjacent atom to split, leading to nuclear bombs!
Forcefield> A Forcefield is an energy barrier which distorts a region of space time to deflect energy or matter. Typically a Forcefield is formed from a series of polarised graviton generators. At the point where the polarised beams intersect they create a highly focused localised space time distortion, which has the effect of forming a physical barrier to matter and energy. Forcefields however cannot block every form.
Fusion Reactor> The Fusion reaction is the process by which stars get their energy. Under extreme heat and pressure two atoms of hydrogen fuse together to form an atom of helium and releasing energy. Multiplied by a few trillion times at the heart of a Star this produces quite allot of energy!
Geodesign Fold> A geodesic fold is a form of subspace conduit created from the interaction of a verteron beam with a large stars magnetic field. This form of conduit has proven to be unstable and short lived, and generates geodesic radiation, which is lethal to life!
Inertial Dampeners> The Inertial Dampeners are an essential part of any vessel accelerating to any significant fraction of light speed, or onwards to warp. If you've ever seen someone in one of those G force accelerators - then x it by 10! This uses a Forcefield shaped inversely to the acceleration vector to counteract the force. However (famously) it cannot predict all events, hence if there is unstable turbulence or explosions these forces are often not totally counteracted (everybody falls off their chair)
Light year> The distance light can travel in one year. 9.454 x 10^15 meters per year - or allot!
Manifold> A Manifold functions in a similar manner to a transformer in Electroplasma systems, shifting frequency of energy, or shifting it's spectrum.
Nacelle> A Nacelle is the outboard runner on a Starship which usually houses the warp coils, which generate the warping effect, usually in pairs. Starfleet vessels are designed with them removed from the body of the main spacecraft. This is both partly a design to facilitate the formation of the warp field, and to keep dangerous radiation away from the crew.
Paradigm> This is a hard thing to convey but a paradigm is essentially a pattern or an object set aside from but next to something else. In this context Subspace is a paradigm of real space, or an alternate dimension would be a paradigm.
Phase> Something which exists alongside, but separate from, a part of the whole. In a Startrek context, something which is out of phase has an altered particle spin, so from a relative paradigm cannot be perceived from our perspective, but still exists within space time. This can occur by degree. Partially phased particles can pass through other particles, but impart energy as they move through. Even fully phased matter will impart a Dechyon field on passing through matter.
Planck time> Planck length is a the smallest physical possible quantity of distance before the traditional laws of physics break down. Planck time is the time it takes a photon to travel this length.
Quantum Singularity> A quantum singularity or Black hole is a point in space time where the classical laws of the universe break down. They form when a super dense star collapses under the weight of it's own mass, to form a point in space time where even light cannot escape the strength of the gravity field. Visually a quantum singularity therefore cannot be seen, but the gravitational lensing which occurs as close light beams are bent around it's gravity well create a distorted image of space time. However a black whole is not totally a giant space hoover, it is also capable of producing tremendous amounts of energy in the form of virtual particles which form on the event horizon (the point after which you can't escape) and indeed black holes are not totally black!
Quantum slipstream> A Quantum slipstream is a tunnel through subspace leading from one point in space time to another, in a similar way to a wormhole. However the effect does not have to be a single line or have only one entrance and exit. Vessels traveling through quantum slipstreams are completely removed from space time (though the interior of the conduit exists as space time) and thus cannot interact with the space time continuum, and vice versa, though sensors can be designed to perceive through this.
Quantum> Refers to the universe when viewed at a scale smaller than Planck length. At this point the laws of classical physics break down, and we enter quantum mechanics, where nothing can be stated as being absolute, but is expressed as probabilities. For practical purposes quantum objects are subatomic, for example protons, electrons, neutrons and further into the quark universe!
Spatial Rift> A Spatial rift is a natural or artificially created rift in space time, in many ways similar to a Wormhole. Early experiments in Transwarp drives were to create such rifts. Indeed, several highly advanced species, including Humans from the future, have devices which can create such rifts, which can cross both space and time. One major problem with as spatial rift is that it can be extremely unstable or short lived, also the subspace forces involved, if unstable have the potential to rip up space time, and destroy whole solar systems.
Spin> The spin of a particle is a metaphore for the charge it carries. Particles which relate to forces and the transfer of energy such as gluons, photons or gravitons tend to have a whole number spin, whereas most other classes of particles have fractional integer spins. Quarks in particular can have odd spins such as 2/3 etc, which add up to make a whole number in composite, for the particle charge of the nucleus.
Structural integrity field> The stresses on a starship when traveling at a significant fraction of light speed or beyond, can be enough to rip the ship into shreds, even with the invention of highly advanced alloys. So the structure of the ship is supported by a network of energy fields, designed to cancel out the stresses placed on the ships spaceframe. These fields can also help to absorb physical or energy damage inflicted on a vessel, such as when under attack or hitting debris. Borg Vessels almost entirely reply on highly advanced structural integrity fields to hold their space frames together. Structural integrity fields are especially needed to compensate for quantum stresses on a spaceframe during Transwarp journeys and many advances have been needed in this area to allow older vessels to travel at these speeds!
Subspace particle> A subspace particle is a generic term for a particle which emanates from subspace, or which has been frequency shifted to create a subspace particle. Examples of this are the energy transformed by the warp coils in the nacelles of a starship into subspace particles, or subspace transmitting devices which use a similar but much smaller design. Subspace particles travel at superluminal velocities.
Subspace undercoriddor> An unusual phenomena encountered in the Delta quadrant, consisting of a vast network of structures similar in nature to quantum slipstreams. The fundamental difference is they have no aperture into space time, as in a wormhole or slipstream, though it is possible to enter with a properly calibrated warp drive, or if the particular region is damaged, which can cause a ship to be pulled into the conduit.
Subspace> Subspace is a paradigm construct upon which what we perceive space time to be built upon and it is the glue which holds together the quantum universes. Spatial laws of the subspace domain are significantly different to space time, for example the speed of light is not a factor. Entering the subspace domain requires vast amounts of energy however, and vessels traversing subspace need to encase themselves in a pocket of space time, as Barionic matter disperses inside subspace, and it is lethal to humanoid life. Natural interchanges between subspace and space time have been known to occur in regions of intense or unusual energy, to cause unusual phenomena including corridors across space and time. Species such as the Tholians are able to create such regions artificially.
Tachyon> A Tachyon is a particle which can travel faster than the speed of light, but within the space time continuum. Tachyons are useful where subspace particles cannot be used or created for observing over great distances or beyond the event horizon of quantum singularities.
Tetrion> Tetrion is a generic though confusing term for a subspace particle: a particle which comes from the subspace domain, and not within space time. Particles from space time decay within subspace and vice versa. The decay of these particles creates interesting effects, such as creating spatial distortions capable of creating subspace conduits or warp drives.
Toroid> A Toroid is essentially a donut. Electromagnets and generators of similar field effects often use toroids because they can create all encompassing magnetic or other fields. An example of a Toroid in use on a starship would be the magnetic suspension units used to contain warp plasma and antimatter.
Transwarp conduit> See Quantum Slipstream
Verterons> A Verteron is a short lived subatomic particle liberated from subspace. Verterons cause quantum conduits in a similar way to Chronitons, but across space. This has the effect of short circuiting Starfleet technology as energy can ark from one location to another. On a macro scale Verterons can be used to produce subspace rifts and conduits.
Wormhole> Like many words in language the word Wormhole can have several meanings largely relating to a shortcut in space time. True wormholes are formed from a bridge between quantum singularities, however these are virtually impossible to create. Most Wormholes are a variation on subspace tunneling caused by natural or artificial means. Most natural wormholes are not stable. The Bajoran Wormhole is a verteron driven tunneling phenomenon formed between a complex aperture of twin ring singularities and a permeable 12 dimensional helical verteron membrane, which conserves the internal structure.
Reference material and reading
This work I acknowledge is a composite from the many sites and fan works I have read over the years, and of course my trusty ST:TNG Technical manual for all of the facts on the warp drive.
For further reading on Transwarp scales and where I got allot of this from I recommend the excellent Daystrom Institute's website:
