It has come to our attention that many otherwise
educated beings do not have a proper understanding of technology as used
aboard starships. The following is intended to serve as a primer on Warp
drive theory. If the reader desires a more detailed analysis of subspace
and warp drive technology, the Institute recommends any of the writings
of Zephram Cochrane, the detailed analyses recorded by Retired Starfleet
Captain Montgomery Scott, or the works of the "Traveler".
Warp drive operates by creating an electrogravitic field which isolates a "bubble" of N-space within it and partially extends into subspace. A symmetrical field results in zero propulsive force, but an asymmetrical field couples with the subspace stresses along one particular vector more efficiently than along other vectors, resulting in a propulsive force. Early warp drives took several minutes to build up a useful field strength, but modern drives can initiate a warp field of 1,000 milliCochranes (warp factor one) in a matter of seconds.
Since the bubble of space within the warp field is acted upon equally throughout (except at the very edges of the "envelope"), there is no perceptible inertial effect. This means that though an outside observer might witness the warp field and its contents accelerate to hyperlight velocity in only a few seconds, those within the warp field will feel no acceleration. Since they have not undergone any "true" acceleration, they do not experience relativistic effects due to their high rate of travel.
When the vessel drops out of warp, it will still be traveling in the same direction and velocity (N-space velocity, not warp speed) that it was when it engaged warp drives. Depending upon the sophistication of the navigational systems, this requires the vessel to accelerate and change heading to match the desired arrival vector. In the early days of warp drives, this entailed periodically dropping out of warp to calculate progress and adjust heading and velocity in N-space. When more sophisticated navigational aids became available, such heading and velocity changes could be made while underway (without dropping out of warp).
Sustaining a warp field has been compared to inflating a leaky balloon. Power must be constantly fed to the field or it will collapse. When a warp field collapses, it doesn't just "vanish", but slowly collapses, taking several minutes. Factors which affect the rate of collapse are electromagnetic configurations within the field (may speed or slow collapse), total field strength (it takes longer to dissipate stronger fields), and the field's physical configuration (the larger and more symmetrical the field configuration, the more slowly it collapses).
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