Transporters and antimatter

[SIR SIG]

In theory Antimatter shouldn't be transported/replicated due to its inherent destructive qualities of beeing anti to matter!

------------------
SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

[suicide junkie]

That's why the "extensive modifications" and/or "Approved containment devices" are required to transport antimatter.

Transporters must have their parts isolated from the antimatter, or recognize the containment device & properly time the materialization process so you don't end up with not enough containment device for the amount of antimatter present part-way through transport.

[SIR SIG]

Originally posted by suicide junkie:
That's why the "extensive modifications" and/or "Approved containment devices" are required to transport antimatter.

Transporters must have their parts isolated from the antimatter, or recognize the containment device & properly time the materialization process so you don't end up with not enough containment device for the amount of antimatter present part-way through transport.

But it is still a form of enregy that isolates the antimatter. And this energy is thus still matter.



------------------
SIR SIG a Aussie TREK Narrator

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[6Lore9]

Stricly speaking from my pov: I think Antimatter like Matter is interchangable with Energy as of the mid-23rd century. and therefore can be transported to another locale. That is probably the same line of thought the writers of the episodes mentioned earlier in this thread.

------------------
it's pretty obvious that the Borg never played "Risk" as a little collective.

[Keny Suda]

Originally posted by 6Lore9:
Stricly speaking from my pov: I think Antimatter like Matter is interchangable with Energy as of the mid-23rd century. and therefore can be transported to another locale.

It is. Antimatter consists of the same subatomic particles than "normal" matter, just in different combinations; making the small electrons positive (?positrons?) and the bigger protons (insert name) negative

[Diamond]

Very close Kenny... the particles that make up antimatter are ARE different; they have opposite charge. As far as we know so far, anti-protons are exactly like protons except for having a negative charge. Likewise anti-electrons and electrons. But although currently believed to be the same in all other respects, that difference makes them a different subatomic particle. Change any of the physical properties of a particle- charge, spin, mass, etc... and you have a different particle.

Some scientists think that there might be some other subtle difference between matter and antimatter, to account for the fact that slightly more matter than antimatter was created at the beginning of the universe. All the antimatter presumably reacted with most of the matter, leaving only matter left in the universe. Of course, this opens the intriguing possibility that if some antimatter avoided contact with anything else in those early moments of the universe, there might still be some left out there.

[Owen E Oulton]

Actually, antiparticles are reversed both in charge and in spin.

Now, since it is canon that you can transport antimatter - it's been done more than once on screen, lets look at applying game mechanics to the problem.

As has been noted, the series has stated A) that you need a special containment system, and B) that the transporter needs to be specially configured to handle antimatter.

I'd require a Systems Engineering (Transporter Systems) roll followed by a Shipboard Systems (Transporter) roll. The better the result on the first roll, the easier the second roll. Only the specially designed antimatter transport containment modules could be used - no transporting over a Photorp. Additionally, all other transporters on the ship would have to be locked out of the system.

[Ergi]

Originally posted by Jabara Eris:
Here's a twisted thought ...

Transporters create matter from energy, using stored patterns. Basically, they work like replicators, except they can handle much more complex objects (such as living beings).

I've always assumed that, as long as you had the pattern for an object on record, a transporter could be used as a replicator in a crunch situation. Heck, I figure that if someone beamed up the Mona Lisa, you could make multiple perfect copies as long as the original pattern remained in the buffer.


Eris

I think that isn´t correct. I have talked about it with my physics teacher and he told me that when an object is beamed, which is already possible today with photons, it is destroyed but an absolutely similar object is created elsewhere. And - back to trek science - while the object is being rematerialized all the information/mater in the transporter buffer is erased.

Think about this:
Would you use a transporter knowing that you are actually killed while somewhere else a new person is created which is absolutely identical to you at the time of your disintegration but isn´t you?


------------------
God, I liked him better before he died.

[6Lore9]

That kinda really bothers me for some reason...

------------------
it's pretty obvious that the Borg never played "Risk" as a little collective.

[SIR SIG]

Thats just our modern understanding of it!

By trek times I think they've worked out how to reintegrate or the particles instead of simply making another copy.

But thats besides the point, this is trek; its not meant to make perfect sense to us mere 21 centurans.

------------------
'...The Borg have stopped at deck 10...'
'...Deflector Control, no vital systems...'

Not a vital system! What the heck do you think stops the ship going 'poof' every time it goes to warp?

- ST:First Contact; Lt Hawk

[Pakled]

Hey, this is Star Trek, not Perry Rhodan!
All the physics aside, isn't it vital to realize that Trek combat is about torpedoes, phasers and shields, not about finding loopholes in what we perceive as 23rd- or 24th century physics.

Not that Janeway's trick with the "surprise present torpedo" that took out the Borg scout craft wasn't cool and worth seeing that "surprised" look on that drone's face...

[suicide junkie]

If the rematerialized person is an exact copy, IT IS YOU!

[SIR SIG]

Originally posted by suicide junkie:
If the rematerialized person is an exact copy, IT IS YOU!

Hmmm. We could always go into all that soul stuff! And clones.



------------------
'...The Borg have stopped at deck 10...'
'...Deflector Control, no vital systems...'

Not a vital system! What the heck do you think stops the ship going 'poof' every time it goes to warp?

- ST:First Contact; Lt Hawk

[Owen E Oulton]

"If the rematerialized person is an exact copy, IT IS YOU!"

Pretty much. On the other tentacle, from the point of duplication on, the twinned characters' experiences will differ and they will diverge into different persons with identical backgrounds. Case in point: William and Thomas Riker. Will and Tom, with 8 years of very different post-duplication experience behaved very differently. Tom, for instance, tried to pick up with Deanna where they'd left off, while Will recognised that he and Deanna had grown apart (well, until the influence of the Ba'ku planet stirred up his hormones...). Will remained loyal to Starfleet while Tom deserted to join the Maquis. Very different attitudes.

Now, this could make for some very interesting gaming. I can see two players getting together (with their GM/Narrator's permission) and creating a character which they would both play from the moment of duplication forward. Could be fun...