11.2 Teryon Beam Arrays

Similar to phaser arrays, these generate Teryon particles to cause a disruptor-like effect in the target matter; Teryons belong to the same particle class as dark matter. They disrupt matter on the atomic level and will pass through shields. Problems with these are essentially that they're more 'barbaric' than phasers; there isn't as much you can do with these.

A typical teryon beam array consists of a varying number of emitter segments in a dense linear arrangement for optimal control of firing order, field halos and target impact. Groups of emitters are supplied by redundant sets of energy feeds from the primary trunks of the EPS, and are similarly interconnected by fire control and sensor lines. There exists no visible hull evidence of teryon beam arrays.

In cross section, the teryon array takes on a thickened M shape, capped with a trapezoidal mass of the actual emitter crystal and phaser-transparent hull antierosion coatings. The base of an array segment sits within a structural honeycomb channel of tritanium. 1000 link struts to the vehicle frame thermally isolate the complete channel.

The first stage of the array segment is the EPS submaster flow regulator, the principle mechanism controlling teryon power levels for firing. The flow regulator leads into the plasma distribution manifold, which branches into 200 supply conduits to an equal of prefire chambers. The final stage of the system is the teryon emitter crystal.

-Activation Sequence

Upon receiving the command to fire, the EPS submaster flow regulator manages the energetic plasma powering the phaser array through a series of physical irises and magnetic switching gates. Iris response is 0.01 seconds and is used for gross adjustments in plasma distribution. Normal control of all irises is affected through the autonomic side of the teryon function command processor. The regulator is manufactured from combined crystal teraposium, binary-bonded phasite and tin, lined with a 1.7cm layer of paranygen animide to provide surface protection.

Energy is conveyed from each flow regulator to the PDM, a secondary computer-controlled valving device at the head end of each prefire chamber. The manifold is a single crystal, diamond, and is machine by precision phaser cutters. The prefire chamber is a oblate spheroid composed of FeTi 467 reinforced with wound hafnium carbide, which is phase-transition welded on. It is within the prefire chamber that energy from the plasma undergoes the handoff and initial EM spectrum shift associated with the nadion effect. The energy is confined for between .05 and 1.2 ns by a collapsible charge barrier before passing to the FeTi 467 emitter for discharge. The action of raising and collapsing the charge barrier forms the required pulse for the NE. The power level commanded by the system or voluntarily set by the tac officer determines the relative proportion of protonic charge that will be created and pulse frequency in the final emitter stage.

-Beam Emission

The trifaceted crystal that constitutes the final discharge stage is formed from FeTi 467. The crystal lattice formula used in the forced-matrix process is Fe>>:Si::W:>:O. The collimated energy beam exits one or more of the facets, depending on which prefire chambers are being pumped with plasma. The segment firing order, as controlled by the phaser function command processor, together with facet discharge direction, determines the final beam vector.

Energy from all discharged segments passes directionally over neighboring segments due to force coupling, converging on the release point, where the beam will emerge and travel at c to the target. Narrow beams are created by rapid segment order firing; wider fan or cone beams from slower firing rates.