Antimatter

From Obsidian Fleet Database

Antimatter is the negative opposite of normal matter, of which nearly everything in the universe is composed. Just as normal matter it is made up of electrons orbiting a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons, so antimatter consists of antielectrons (or positrons) orbiting around a nucleus of antiprotons and antineutrons.

If antimatter is exposed to normal matter equal amounts of matter and antimatter annihilate to pure energy, which is called matter-antimatter reaction. Antimatter is used to fuel the warp drives of modern starships, when used in conjunction with dilithium crystals.

Because antimatter will react with any normal matter it comes in contact with, the precautions with which it is handled are extreme. Antimatter is always contained within strong magnetic containment, preventing accidental release. The only normal matter allowed to contact antimatter, in the form of antideuterium when used in a warp drive, is the fuel (typically deuterium in a modern warp reactor), and only dilithium crystals, which moderate the matter-antimatter reaction, are exposed to an antimatter stream.