9.2 System Components

-Transport chamber-

This is the protect volume in which the actual materialize\dematerialize cycle occurs. The chamber platform is elevated above the floor to reduce the possibility of dangerous static discharge, which sometimes occurs during the transport process.

-Operator's console-

This control station permits the Transporter Chief to monitor and control all transporter functions. It also permits manual override of auto sequencer functions and other emergency abort options.

-Transporter Controller-

This dedicated computer processor is located to one side of the chamber itself. It manages the operation of transporter systems, including autosequence control.

-Primary energizing coils-

Located at the top and bottom of the transport chamber, these coils create the powerful Annular Confinement Beam, which creates a spatial matrix within which the materialize\dematerialize process occurs. A secondary field holds the transport subject within the ACB; this is a safety feature, as disruption of the ACB field during the early dematerialization stages can result in a massive energy discharge, not to mention probable death for the person in the ACB. In modern transporters, the ACB also imparts a precise, known quantum spin polarization to every particle in the matter stream.

-Phase Transition Coils-

Located in the transport chamber platform, these wide-band quark\gluon manipulation field devices accomplish the actual dematerialization process by partially decoupling the binding energy between quarks. All personnel transporters are design to operate at quantum-level resolution suitable for transmission of living, sentient beings. Cargo transporters are generally optimized for the more energy-efficient, but cruder, molecular-level resolution levels.

-Atomic Imaging scanners-

Each upper pad incorporates six redundant sets of .3-angstrom atomic imaging scanners at 90-degree intervals around the primary pad axis. Error-checking routines permit any one scanner to be ignored if it disagrees with the other five. Failure of two will be alerted to the transporter officer for possible correction, while failure of three or more will necessitate an automatic abort in the transport process. Each scanner is offset 3.2 arc seconds from the ACB axis, permitting real-time derivation of analog quantum state using a series of dedicated Heisenberg compensators. Quantum state data are not used when operating on cargo mode.

-Pattern Buffer-

Pattern Buffers are large superconducting tokamaks where the stream(s) are shunted. This stage is where it gets interesting. Each 'beam' is passed through a hollow cylinder of plasma-charged verterium cortenide. The beam ends up sheathed in a high-level subspace field, which warps space and doubles the time the beam survives before it degrades. Also, accelerators pump up the speed of the beams to near light speed before routing to the main emitters. Biofilters, Weapon scanners and such are employed here and facilitate their removal from the pattern.

-Biofilter & Weaponfilter-

Normally used only in transport to the ship, these imaging devices scan the incoming matter stream and looks for patterns corresponding to known dangerous bacteriological and viral forms, and known weapons systems be them internal or external. Upon detection of such patterns, the biofilter automatically wipes such patterns or disables the weapons.

-Emitter pad Array-

Mounted on the exterior of the ship, these assemblies transmit the components of the transporter ACB and matter stream to and fro. The emitter pad includes a phase transition matrix, subspace transceiver assembly, and primary energizing coils; also incorporated into these arrays are four redundant clusters of long-range virtual focus molecular imaging scanners used during the beamup process. Using phase inversion techniques these emitters can also be used to perform intraship beaming. Grouped around the imaging scanners are sets of 16kW phase-alignment arrays, designed to give the beam a standing-wave pattern capable of defeating most forms of space-normal radiation, such as actinides.

-Targeting scanners-

A set of twelve partially redundant sensor clusters located in the lateral, upper, and lower sensor arrays, these devices determine transporter coordinates, including bearing, range and relative velocity to the ship. The targeting scanners also provide environmental information that is used to determine the safety of the chosen beamdown site. Transport coordinates can also be determined using navigational, tactical or communications scanners. For site-to-site intraship, coordinates are derived from internal sensors. Ships personnel can be located for transport using comm badges or biosignatures.