ONBOARD ANTIMATTER GENERATION

	As mentioned, there exists in the Galaxy class the ability to generate 
relatively small amounts of antimatter during potential emergency situations. 
The process is by all accounts incredibly power- and matter-intensive, and 
may not be advantageous under all operational conditions. As with the 
Bussard ramscoop, however, the antimatter generator may provide critical 
fuel supplies when they are needed most.
	The antimatter generator resides on Deck 42, surrounded by other 
elements of the WPS. It consists of two key assemblies, the matter 
inlet/conditioner (MI/C), and the quantum charge reversal device (QCRD). 
The entire generator measures some 7.6 x 13.7 meters, and masses 1400 
metric tonnes. It is one of the heaviest components, second only to the warp 
field coils. The MI/C utilizes conventional tritanium and polyduranide in its 
construction, as it handles only cryogenic deuterium and similar fuels. The 
QCRD, on the other hand, employs alternating layers of superdense, forced-
matrix cobalt-yttrium-polyduranide and 854 kalinite-argium. This is necessary 
to produce the power amplification required to hold collections of subatomic 
particles, reverse their charge, and collect the reversed matter for storage in 
the nearby antimatter pods.
	The technology that has given rise to the QCRD is similar to that of 
the transporter, SIF, IDF, and other devices that manipulate matter on the 
quantum level. The conversion process sees the inlet of normal matter, 
stretched out into thin rivulets no more than 0.000003 cm across. The rivulets 
are pressure-fed into the QCRD under magnetic suspension, where groups of 
them are chilled to within 0.001 degree of absolute zero, and exposed to a 
short-period stasis field to further limit molecular vibration. As the stasis field 
decays, focused subspace fields drive deep within the subatomic structure 
to flip the charges and spins of the ÒfrozenÓ protons, neutrons, and 
electrons. The flipped matter, now antimatter, is magnetically removed for 
storage. The system can normally process 0.08 mì/hr.
	It can be said that the total potential energy contained in a given 
quantity of deuterium can drive a starship for some considerable distance. 
Applying this energy at sublight speeds will be next to useless in a desperate 
scenario. Interstellar flight at warp speeds requires tens of thousands of 
times greater velocities than those afforded by impulse power, and so 
antimatter generation will sometimes be necessary. One disadvantage 
imposed by the process is that it requires ten units of deuterium to power the 
generator, and the generator will produce only one unit of antimatter. Put 
another way, the law of conservation of energy dictates that the power 
required for this process will exceed the usable energy ultimately derived 
from the resulting antimatter fuel. However, this may provide a needed 
survival margin to reach a starbase or tanker rendezvous.  Æ