franchise-star-trek-tng-technical-manual1

5.1 WARP FIELD THEORY AND APPLICATIONThe amount of power required to maintain a given warpfactor is a function of the cochrane value of the warp field.However, the energy required to initially establish the field ismuch greater, and is called the peak transitional threshold.Once that threshold has been crossed, the amount of powerrequired to maintain a given warp factor is lessened. While thecurrent engine designs allow for control of unprecedentedamounts of energy, the warp driver coil electrodynamic efficiencydecreases as the warp factor increases. Ongoingstudies indicate, however, that no new materials breakthroughsare anticipated to produce increased high warpfactor endurance.Warp fields exceeding a given warp factor, but lacking theenergy to cross the threshold to the next higher level, arecalled fractional warp factors. Travel at a given fractional warpfactor can be significantly faster than travel at the next lowerintegral warp, but for extended travel, it is often more energyefficientto simply increase to the next higher integral warpfactor.THEORETICAL LIMITSEugene's Limit allows for warp stress to increase asymptotically,approaching but never reaching a value correspondingto Warp Factor 10. As field values approach ten, powerrequirements rise geometrically, while the aforementioneddriver coil efficiency drops dramatically. The required forcecoupling and decoupling of the warp field layers rise tounattainablefrequencies, exceeding not only the flight system'scontrol capabilities, but more important the limit imposed bythe aforementioned Planck time. Even if it were possible toexpend the theoretically infinite amount of energy required, anobject at Warp 10 would be traveling infinitely fast, occupyingall points in the universe simultaneously.WARP PROPULSION SYSTEMAs installed in the Galaxy class, the warp propulsionsystem consists of three major assemblies: the matter/antimatterreaction assembly, power transfer conduits, and warpengine nacelles. The total system provides energy for itsprimary application, propelling the USS Enterprise throughspace, as well as its secondary application, powering suchessential high-capacity systems as the defensive shields,phaser arrays, tractor beam, main deflector, and computercores.The original propulsion system specifications, transmittedto the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on 6 July 2343, called forhardware capable of sustaining a normal cruising speed ofWarp 5 until fuel exhaustion, a maximum cruising speed ofWarp 7, and a maximum top speed of Warp 9.3 for twelvehours. These theoretical milestones had been modeled incomputer simulations, based on a total vehicle mass of 6.5million metric tonnes. In the following six months, however,well before the spaceframe designs had been finalized,Starfleet reevaluated the overall requirements of the Galaxyclass, based upon a combination of factors. The drivinginfluences were: (1) changing political conditions amongmembers of the Federation, (2) intelligence forecasts describingimproved Threat hardware, and (3) increasing numbers ofPort warp nacelleStarboard warp nacelleDeuteriumsupplyWarp field generator coilsWarp field generator coilsPlasmainjectorPlasmainjectorMagneticconstrictionsegmentPower transfer conduitsEPSpower tapsMatter/antimatterreactionchambermDilithium crystalarticulation frameMagneticconstrictionsegmentAntimatterreactantinjectorAntimattersupply5.1.2 Warp drive system