TrekWars - The Furry Conflict: Subspace Electromagnetic Radiation

	PHYSICS: BASIC PHYSICS: RADIATION: SUBSPACE ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
	Physics Brief:

Subspace Electromagnetic Radiation (SEM for short) is a combination of oscillating electric and magnetic fields propagating faster than the speed of light due to partial or complete immersion in subspace. Like their lightspeed counterparts, SEM carries energy from one location to another, and is classified by into various subspace frequency bands. SEM is the technology that supports subspace radio. Massless particles are readily absorbed into subspace in the presence of a field bridge, but over time they tend to lose energy or velocity through interactions with various subspace particles and eventually "bleed" back into normal space as ordinary electromagnetic radiation. This limits the range of subspace communication and scanning.

Like the other forms of subspace radiation (hyperonic, nadion, amnion, metreon, verteron and tetryon), SEM radiation can be phased and/or submerged to different "depths" into the subspace layer. These properties largely determine the effect these forms of radiation have on normal matter and biological tissues. SEM submerged deep in subspace or with a high phase differential will not interact significantly with matter.

Like normal electromagnetic radiation, SEM may behave as waves or as particles depending on the circumstances. As a wave, it is characterized by a warp velocity, wavelength, and frequency. Much information about the physical properties of an object can be obtained from its SEM spectrum; this can be either the spectrum of subspace photons emitted from, or transmitted through an object. This involves subspace spectroscopy and is widely used in advanced astrophysics.

For additional discussion of radiation, please refer to the Radiation thread in the What Is...? Forum.