![]() ![]() The EPS also provides the primary energy supply for the ship’s other electronic systems. (CBS) The Enterprise D EPS (Electro-plasma system) Grid This reaction produces highly energetic plasma called warp plasma, which is channelled by plasma conduits through the electro-plasma system, or EPS. In canon, we know that rare natural deposits of Dilithium exist throughout the galaxy, and its rarity thus makes it a highly valuable substance.ĭilithium crystals are nonreactive with antimatter when subjected to high-frequency electromagnetic fields. The novels Prime Directive and Firestorm also confirm Dilithium’s quartz-like structure and identify 2-3% of Earth’s quartz as being useful for regulating the antimatter reaction in warp cores. Since real lithium, being a metal, cannot form solid diatomic molecules, one explanation given in Trek is that Dilithium has a subspace component that keeps it stable despite its high atomic weight-possibly the reason it can’t be synthesized or replicated.Īs far as I can tell, the closest we’ve come to being given an atomic number and weight for this element is 119 and 315, respectively, from the Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual. Whereas in real life, Dilithium is a gaseous molecule composed of two lithium atoms, in Star Trek, Dilithium is a full-fledged crystalline element that is part of the so-called “hypersonic series.” This is where Dilithium crystals, which regulate the matter/antimatter reaction, come in. You may remember from science class, or if not from there, then maybe from YouTube or Wikipedia, that when matter and antimatter collide, they tend to, well, annihilate each other, producing a nuclear explosion. Thus, deuterium is sometimes called “heavy hydrogen.” And naturally, the antimatter component of the reaction is called antideuterium. The matter in this reaction is deuterium, a stable isotope of hydrogen that, in addition to the single proton that characterizes normal hydrogen, contains a single neutron as well. ![]() Starfleet warp engines, at least, are fueled by a matter/antimatter reaction. While The Original Series does provide some fundamental details about how warp drives function, more attention is given to the process in The Next Generation era and beyond. Before we can explore the prospect of breaking the light barrier in our world, let’s first get a better grasp on how warp drives operate in Star Trek. ![]()
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