How Warp drive works
- Thread starter KhanSolo
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Warp core breaches often happened as a result of a coolant leak during TNG. Under normal circumstances, the crew would eject the core before it exploded (but the ejection system always tended to go offline whenever Picard called for it oddly enough).
Back when I was still writing Trek vs Wars stories, I had to unify Trek warp-drive physics with Wars hyperdrive physics. What fallows is what I came up with.
If you like it, use it.
.....
Warpdrive is a process of fracturing regular space such that each axis within an effected (3-space) volume has a fractional, over-unity dimension. The collective over-unity within this volume can be considered a subspace added to normal space, through which passing particles can find a shorter distance between two points than without the subspace. If this fracturing is asymmetrical, the distances within the warped volume will be shorter in one direction than any other, which will induce an overwhelming moment vector upon any mass in that direction. Increases in this moment vector --and thus increases in warp speed-- are accomplished with greater asymmetry of the subspace.
As the fractional stresses of the volume caused by this asymmetry increase, more and more energy is needed to maintain the structure and stability of the subspace. At some point, the subspace breaks apart, spawning a second subspace within the first. This can be imagined as 'warp bubbles' nestled one within another. These bubbles effectively increase the subspace over-unity within the volume, creating ever shorter pathways and ever stronger moment-vectors. These fracturing, bubble-making periods are where the power thresholds lie and where integer warp-factor numbers are placed. Our theory indicates only 9 layers of fractional subspaces can be supported within three dimensional space. Thus any increase in 'speed' after warp 9 can only occur as an increase in compression of the subspaces. Therefore, 'warp 10' is an infinite compression of 9 subspaces which would connect all points in space in the direction of travel --effectively an infinite 'speed', requiring an infinite amount of energy --an impossibility.
Hyperdrive takes a different approach. Where a warpdrive buoys itself only partially into the sea of multidimensionality, a hyperdrive immerses itself completely. Instead of fracturing normal space into a number of subspaces, it uses momentum and spin to push a mass over the light barrier and into the tachyon realm where there are 11, whole dimensions of space and time --including our standard 4-- through which one attempts to find the shortest path between any two points.
The momentum of a mass as it jumps from realspace into hyperspace dictates its momentum in hyperspace: the higher the former, the lower the latter and the 'faster' it travels. This is why a hyperdrive, just before it jumps, emits virtual-photonic radiation to synchronize, as closely as possible, the quantum spin of as many particles --electrons and protons-- within the mass as possible, which greatly decreases entropy and increases relative momentum. This is the reason why vision within hyperspace twists into an apparent tunnel vision.
However, large moment-gradients of bent space around gravity wells makes travel through hyperspace unpredictably dangerous. Small differences in the momentum of an object create huge strains on it while in the tachyon realm. A moment gradient as little as .005 between stem and stern of a vessel can rip that vessel apart while within hyperspace. Thus all hyperdrives have safeties that automatically jump out of hyperspace when the slightest gradient is detected. Nor will the drive engage within such a gradient.
This is how an Interdictor Cruiser works: it projects a gravitational 'moment gradient' to trick the hyperdrive circuitry of oncoming hyperspace traffic to drop out of hyperspace.
Warp does not have this problem. Indeed, bent space within a gravity well increases the available volume the warp field can fracture and compress, effectively increasing the drive's efficiency.
....
Any Warsie out there will quickly recognize that the explanation of why vessels drop out of hyperspace near gravity wells doesn't work: they don't stop voluntarily, as suggested here, they burn out. But what can I say? I was young and stupid.
I had in mind describing slipstream as a method of making bubbles of 4D spacetime within hyperspace, pushing them through hyperspace and then making them surface back into normal space a the proper place. In this way slipstream would be a kind of hyperdrive.
Further, Borg transwarp conduits would be 4D spacetime tunnels through hyperspace. And their transwarp drives would be like tunnel segments that close behind; a more brute-force method of slipstream. I expected Voth transwarp to be similar to slipstream, too. Same with the transwarp catapult from Voyager, whatever that device was called.
Wormholes, on the other hand, would be a tunnel of fractured subspace; in effect, a warp tunnel. This would make wormholse much, much faster than transwarp because they would be a direct corridor of compressed subspace between two 4d spacetime points and not a shunt through a "longer" hyperspace corridor.
Underspace was a quandary. I couldn't figure out, with this model, how to make either a subspace (wormhole) network or transwarp conduit network intrinsically stable. I kept realizing reasons why they needed power to stay stable. It was a long time ago, so I forget all the details. I ended up just ignoring underspace.
If you like it, use it.
.....
Warpdrive is a process of fracturing regular space such that each axis within an effected (3-space) volume has a fractional, over-unity dimension. The collective over-unity within this volume can be considered a subspace added to normal space, through which passing particles can find a shorter distance between two points than without the subspace. If this fracturing is asymmetrical, the distances within the warped volume will be shorter in one direction than any other, which will induce an overwhelming moment vector upon any mass in that direction. Increases in this moment vector --and thus increases in warp speed-- are accomplished with greater asymmetry of the subspace.
As the fractional stresses of the volume caused by this asymmetry increase, more and more energy is needed to maintain the structure and stability of the subspace. At some point, the subspace breaks apart, spawning a second subspace within the first. This can be imagined as 'warp bubbles' nestled one within another. These bubbles effectively increase the subspace over-unity within the volume, creating ever shorter pathways and ever stronger moment-vectors. These fracturing, bubble-making periods are where the power thresholds lie and where integer warp-factor numbers are placed. Our theory indicates only 9 layers of fractional subspaces can be supported within three dimensional space. Thus any increase in 'speed' after warp 9 can only occur as an increase in compression of the subspaces. Therefore, 'warp 10' is an infinite compression of 9 subspaces which would connect all points in space in the direction of travel --effectively an infinite 'speed', requiring an infinite amount of energy --an impossibility.
Hyperdrive takes a different approach. Where a warpdrive buoys itself only partially into the sea of multidimensionality, a hyperdrive immerses itself completely. Instead of fracturing normal space into a number of subspaces, it uses momentum and spin to push a mass over the light barrier and into the tachyon realm where there are 11, whole dimensions of space and time --including our standard 4-- through which one attempts to find the shortest path between any two points.
The momentum of a mass as it jumps from realspace into hyperspace dictates its momentum in hyperspace: the higher the former, the lower the latter and the 'faster' it travels. This is why a hyperdrive, just before it jumps, emits virtual-photonic radiation to synchronize, as closely as possible, the quantum spin of as many particles --electrons and protons-- within the mass as possible, which greatly decreases entropy and increases relative momentum. This is the reason why vision within hyperspace twists into an apparent tunnel vision.
However, large moment-gradients of bent space around gravity wells makes travel through hyperspace unpredictably dangerous. Small differences in the momentum of an object create huge strains on it while in the tachyon realm. A moment gradient as little as .005 between stem and stern of a vessel can rip that vessel apart while within hyperspace. Thus all hyperdrives have safeties that automatically jump out of hyperspace when the slightest gradient is detected. Nor will the drive engage within such a gradient.
This is how an Interdictor Cruiser works: it projects a gravitational 'moment gradient' to trick the hyperdrive circuitry of oncoming hyperspace traffic to drop out of hyperspace.
Warp does not have this problem. Indeed, bent space within a gravity well increases the available volume the warp field can fracture and compress, effectively increasing the drive's efficiency.
....
Any Warsie out there will quickly recognize that the explanation of why vessels drop out of hyperspace near gravity wells doesn't work: they don't stop voluntarily, as suggested here, they burn out. But what can I say? I was young and stupid.
I had in mind describing slipstream as a method of making bubbles of 4D spacetime within hyperspace, pushing them through hyperspace and then making them surface back into normal space a the proper place. In this way slipstream would be a kind of hyperdrive.
Further, Borg transwarp conduits would be 4D spacetime tunnels through hyperspace. And their transwarp drives would be like tunnel segments that close behind; a more brute-force method of slipstream. I expected Voth transwarp to be similar to slipstream, too. Same with the transwarp catapult from Voyager, whatever that device was called.
Wormholes, on the other hand, would be a tunnel of fractured subspace; in effect, a warp tunnel. This would make wormholse much, much faster than transwarp because they would be a direct corridor of compressed subspace between two 4d spacetime points and not a shunt through a "longer" hyperspace corridor.
Underspace was a quandary. I couldn't figure out, with this model, how to make either a subspace (wormhole) network or transwarp conduit network intrinsically stable. I kept realizing reasons why they needed power to stay stable. It was a long time ago, so I forget all the details. I ended up just ignoring underspace.
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That's about as much as they've shown, yeah. Though the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine did use a warp field thingamabob to make the station light enough to move around, in a manner that looked (to me) strikingly like James Blish's spindizzy drives, used to hurl cities and planets around in the Cities In Flight novels.
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Nah, it was the shield array. The station doesn't have warp drive or any kind of propulsion system outside of thrusters. (which is why they had to reduce the stations mass- so the thrusters would actually be able to move it)
That's about as much as they've shown, yeah. Though the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine did use a warp field thingamabob to make the station light enough to move around, in a manner that looked (to me) strikingly like James Blish's spindizzy drives, used to hurl cities and planets around in the Cities In Flight novels.
[/QUOTE]
Nah, it was the shield array. The station doesn't have warp drive or any kind of propulsion system outside of thrusters. (which is why they had to reduce the stations mass- so the thrusters would actually be able to move it)
It's been accurately said here that cannon doctrine doesn't have a hard and fast description of exactly how warp drive works. But with that said, it's possible to make several observations over the decades, and come up with what seems like fairly reasonable explanations. I'll share my thoughts on this with you here, provided please no one jump up and demand links to prove this or that... thanks in advance 
.
Zephram Cochrine theorized, and later proved with the Phoenix flight, that an object's mass can be reduced to virtually zero as seen by the real universe, if that object is encased in a sufficiently strong force field.
Essentially, there isn't a 'warp engine' per se... it's more like an overlay add on to the IMpulse system. Ordinary thrusters provide small precision movements to the ship's hull. IMpulse is basically fusion drive, which is capable of propelling a vessel up to a substantial sub-light velocity.
At usually around 1/4 IMpulse, the warp system is brought online. In theory it's stupid-simple -- matter and antimatter contacting each other in a very precisely controlled manner, such that in their mutual extermniation, tera-quads of energy is released.
For simplicity, the end of a small rod of iron which is suspended in a very strong magnetic field, is moved to barely contact the end of an equally small rod of anti-iron. Iron and anti-iron are used due to their atomic purity, and that they are ferro-magnetic, which allows them to be non-contact manipulated by magnetic fields.
When the 2 rods start to lightly touch at the contact ends, the tremendous energy is released in the form of ionized plasma... which is then fed down through the Jeffries tubes, into the Engineering section. The plasma is fed into a large bank of dilithium crystals, which resonate and smooth the power feed into the warp field generator -- which is one BIG force field generator. The warp field envelops the entire hull, which brings on the Cochrainian mass reduction effect.
But now, the thrust of the IMpulse engines, instead of acting on the ships real mass, now suddenly see nearly Zero mass. Thus the vessel literally LEAPS from about one quarter light speed, up to several times light speed. The vessel's actual velocity is regulated by precise thrust management of the IMpulse engines, while the big honkin' batteries of the matter-antimatter reactors keep the juice flowing.
If one plots the curves of IMpulse thrust vs vessel velocity at the initiation of warp drive, it forms a plot with a small curve on the bottom (IMpulse thrust) underneath a Huge curve on top (vessel velocity). This is the Chochrine curve, which coincidently is the shape of the famous StarFleet badge.
A couple of things I haven't been able to figger out though-- while in warp, you really shouldn't be able to see out of the warp field. And folks sitting still in the 'real universe' shouldn't be able to see your ship... I guess Hollywood over-rode logic on this.
Anyway, this is rambling long. Again, sorry I don't have a pocketful of internet links to 'prove' any of this. It's just one old guy's observations from decades of watching Roddenberry's finest work.
.Zephram Cochrine theorized, and later proved with the Phoenix flight, that an object's mass can be reduced to virtually zero as seen by the real universe, if that object is encased in a sufficiently strong force field.
Essentially, there isn't a 'warp engine' per se... it's more like an overlay add on to the IMpulse system. Ordinary thrusters provide small precision movements to the ship's hull. IMpulse is basically fusion drive, which is capable of propelling a vessel up to a substantial sub-light velocity.
At usually around 1/4 IMpulse, the warp system is brought online. In theory it's stupid-simple -- matter and antimatter contacting each other in a very precisely controlled manner, such that in their mutual extermniation, tera-quads of energy is released.
For simplicity, the end of a small rod of iron which is suspended in a very strong magnetic field, is moved to barely contact the end of an equally small rod of anti-iron. Iron and anti-iron are used due to their atomic purity, and that they are ferro-magnetic, which allows them to be non-contact manipulated by magnetic fields.
When the 2 rods start to lightly touch at the contact ends, the tremendous energy is released in the form of ionized plasma... which is then fed down through the Jeffries tubes, into the Engineering section. The plasma is fed into a large bank of dilithium crystals, which resonate and smooth the power feed into the warp field generator -- which is one BIG force field generator. The warp field envelops the entire hull, which brings on the Cochrainian mass reduction effect.
But now, the thrust of the IMpulse engines, instead of acting on the ships real mass, now suddenly see nearly Zero mass. Thus the vessel literally LEAPS from about one quarter light speed, up to several times light speed. The vessel's actual velocity is regulated by precise thrust management of the IMpulse engines, while the big honkin' batteries of the matter-antimatter reactors keep the juice flowing.
If one plots the curves of IMpulse thrust vs vessel velocity at the initiation of warp drive, it forms a plot with a small curve on the bottom (IMpulse thrust) underneath a Huge curve on top (vessel velocity). This is the Chochrine curve, which coincidently is the shape of the famous StarFleet badge.
A couple of things I haven't been able to figger out though-- while in warp, you really shouldn't be able to see out of the warp field. And folks sitting still in the 'real universe' shouldn't be able to see your ship... I guess Hollywood over-rode logic on this.
Anyway, this is rambling long. Again, sorry I don't have a pocketful of internet links to 'prove' any of this. It's just one old guy's observations from decades of watching Roddenberry's finest work.
OK, in fairness, I CAN provide at least something of a link to part of this. In "The Making Of Star Trek", the reason for the warp nacelles is explained in that the technology was only in it's 2'nd or so generation at the time. The idea of carrying around the equivalent of a couple of small suns on your back made designers nervous enough that they wanted some type of fail-safe.
Each nacelle is basically fully self-contained-- with its own redundant power supplies and control systems. Obviously an un-controlled antimatter reaction can just ruin your whole day. So in addition to being fully self-contained, the nacelles where intended to be ejectable if things started to get out of control -- the idea being that you could scoot the hell out of there on IMpulse before the thing went bang.
Starbases with drydock capability could remove the nacelles, and replace them with refreshed / refueled power units, which made it possible to do a very quick drydock turnaround if necessary.
In Roddenberry's original plan, the saucer section was also intended to be detachable, and could perform independent operations including planetary landings if needed. Could be it was the limitations of special effects tech in the TOS day, but they didn't capatilize on this until much later in TNG.
Each nacelle is basically fully self-contained-- with its own redundant power supplies and control systems. Obviously an un-controlled antimatter reaction can just ruin your whole day. So in addition to being fully self-contained, the nacelles where intended to be ejectable if things started to get out of control -- the idea being that you could scoot the hell out of there on IMpulse before the thing went bang.
Starbases with drydock capability could remove the nacelles, and replace them with refreshed / refueled power units, which made it possible to do a very quick drydock turnaround if necessary.
In Roddenberry's original plan, the saucer section was also intended to be detachable, and could perform independent operations including planetary landings if needed. Could be it was the limitations of special effects tech in the TOS day, but they didn't capatilize on this until much later in TNG.
Dig Cochrane (played by Corbett in TOS "Metamorphosis"), yet before the question of how it works can be asked intelligently, we first have to demonstrate that a speed greater than c can be measured in the laboratory. There's also a lot of talk about "bending" the fabric of spacetime. Effects of this sort have received theoretical treatment in the context of General Relativity. Note that GR invokes only gravity as mechanism for such bending, and gravitation is produced only by mass or its equivalent in energy. The masses required are huge: that of a celestial body like a star, compressed into a space perhaps 1km in radius. The forces experienced are also huge, likely to shred any putative starship down to its subatomic particles.
It's always risky to declare something impossible. But it's quite fair to state that the proponents of a warp drive have the burden of proof: It will base on a totally new physics we know nothing about as of today.
It's always risky to declare something impossible. But it's quite fair to state that the proponents of a warp drive have the burden of proof: It will base on a totally new physics we know nothing about as of today.
This. Exactly. GR wisely did NOT attempt to over-explain every technicial detail in the Trek world. Kirk picks up a phaser pistol, for example, and he doesn't have to pause and explain to the audience what it is and how it works -- the audience just KNOWS it's a gun and ACCEPTS that it's gonna go zap something-- check and done, let's move on with the plot.
It's the same way with the other techno-goodies seen and casually accepted on every episode: transporters, force fields, and my personal favorite, the artificial gravity. I'd LOVE to find a thread here or anywhere that talks in detail about how THESE things work.
In the meantime, Hollywood gobbles these things up as freebies:
1) Having a transporter system beam your characters quickly from one scene to the next, avoids lengthy and complex extra-vehicular activities (and provides the occasional plot theme when desired).
2) Stick a string of LED's up on a door frame - voila, instant force field. The actors can address it like a wall they can see thru, and the set carpenters didn't have to build it.
3) Artificial gravity (which is convienently always earth-normal!) makes it so much easier than dangling your actors from wires a-la zero-g.
And so on and so on. Not that I'm critical, don't misunderstand, quite the opposite in fact. All the ST techno toys are accepted and used as casually as we today are with cell phones and Lear jets. It just works.
You might want to consider not bolding all of your text, since it kind of looks like you're shouting that way.
My pardons, Unicron. This newb thanks you for the guidance.
Starborn Dragon
Captain
You might want to look into the Albucierre drive, which NASA is pursuing now. In short it is a drive that can reach FTL speeds without breaking the warp barrier and could be as much as sixty times the speed of light. Here a short seven minute video on how it is supposed to work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRn4WpoNAyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRn4WpoNAyo
Last I heard it was only ten times the speed of light. They are still testing to see if they can get something to happen even on a small scale.
Here is hoping they are successful. Even if interstellar travel is still impractical, it would make interplanertary travel quite possible. (That would be roughly the equivalent of Warp 2).
The sixty times light would be something like Warp 4.
Here is hoping they are successful. Even if interstellar travel is still impractical, it would make interplanertary travel quite possible. (That would be roughly the equivalent of Warp 2).
The sixty times light would be something like Warp 4.
Possible, but yeah, impractical.
Unless there are any nearby habitable worlds, sure you may be able to reach them in your lifetime, but it isn't like friends and family would be able to come visit you on holiday.
And we still need to be concerned about radiation, space debris, and the effects of zero-gravity. Lets hope we solve those problems while trying to figure out how to make warp drive possible.
Unless there are any nearby habitable worlds, sure you may be able to reach them in your lifetime, but it isn't like friends and family would be able to come visit you on holiday.
And we still need to be concerned about radiation, space debris, and the effects of zero-gravity. Lets hope we solve those problems while trying to figure out how to make warp drive possible.
Starborn Dragon
Captain
Except the Romulans use a singularity to power their warp drives.
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