Conversion Drive
A conversion drive or conversion engine is an advanced spacecraft propulsion system which uses magnetic monopoles to liberate matter as energy. The ideal conversion drive would be the ultimate rocket, with an exhaust velocity of lightspeed.
The heart of a conversion drive is a reaction chamber which contains monopoles injected from storage. Once fuel is introduced (this is usually a cheap substance like water or carbon dust) and heated to plasma, the monopoles can be manipulated to collide with its atoms and convert them to energy. Exhaust—gamma rays and charged particles—are directed out a nozzle. Contemporary conversion drive tubes are made from salvaged Hexamite adamantium, the only substance capable of withstanding the raw energy they unleash.
This process has inherent inefficiencies. Not all the fuel will react with a monopole before it leaves the chamber, and some monopoles will inevitably slip out and be lost as well. Still, conversion drives offer performance an order of magnitude better than even a high-end fusion torch.
Their chief difficulty, besides the expense of acquiring enough monopoles to run one, are radiation hazards. A conversion drive emits a beam of gamma rays often several petawatts in strength, enough to vaporize any starships which stray into its path, or scour the surface of a planet. They are regulated by the Stellar Compact as a Class II Controlled Technology, with stringent oversight required for all users.
The heart of a conversion drive is a reaction chamber which contains monopoles injected from storage. Once fuel is introduced (this is usually a cheap substance like water or carbon dust) and heated to plasma, the monopoles can be manipulated to collide with its atoms and convert them to energy. Exhaust—gamma rays and charged particles—are directed out a nozzle. Contemporary conversion drive tubes are made from salvaged Hexamite adamantium, the only substance capable of withstanding the raw energy they unleash.
This process has inherent inefficiencies. Not all the fuel will react with a monopole before it leaves the chamber, and some monopoles will inevitably slip out and be lost as well. Still, conversion drives offer performance an order of magnitude better than even a high-end fusion torch.
Their chief difficulty, besides the expense of acquiring enough monopoles to run one, are radiation hazards. A conversion drive emits a beam of gamma rays often several petawatts in strength, enough to vaporize any starships which stray into its path, or scour the surface of a planet. They are regulated by the Stellar Compact as a Class II Controlled Technology, with stringent oversight required for all users.
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