Quantum Tunneling

Quantum tunneling as applied to space travel, is the most commonly used means of long distace transportation (warp drives being a less viable option with the advent of these tunnels), the phrase itself is a misinterpretation of quantum mechanical operations, but is commonly accepted for the process, which essentially creates an accelerated spacetime tunnel between two connecting gates. Throughout the Orion Cluster and a few regions of the Northern Crux, there is an intergalactic network of tunnels, which connects most of the high-population regions together.



The tunnel that is formed between two gates simulates the effects of a wormwhole, effectively compressesing time within an alternate space highway, allowing several ships to enter and follow the navigation buoys that guide the way. Several limiting factors in technology and knowledge of quantum manipulation slightly hinder this process, rather than creating an instant portal, this tunnel method is only able to decrease the ship's physical travel distance between the gates. As soon as a ship enters one side, it begins a rapid acceleration through normal spacetime, however the ship itself is only traveling at the same speed it was prior to entering the tunnel.

At the apex of the tunnel is where flat space folds together and creates a bridge between the compressed spacetime continuum, this apex forms an anomoly similar to a quasar for the external viewer. Within the tunnel, this apex is a section of white space, travelers describe it as the an eerie experience where the darkness of space is replaced by absolute white, and time flows in both directions before they cross the bridge. It is recommended that inexperienced and non-essential personnel sleep during the flight, there have been a handful of documented cases of extreme neuro/psychological strain from experiencing the flow of time in multiple directions.

Due to the nature of altering spacetime, violent spatial distortions build up infront and behind the ship as it travels through the tunnel, this turbulance can be amplified by changing speed and deviation in the flight path. For the sake of structural integrity of most ships, it is recommended that flight speeds not exceed 100m/s, while realatively slow for most ships, the worst resulting spacetime turbulance is enough to shake unfixed objects. However this speed is translated differently by tunnels, depending on the diameter of the gate, the energy used for time compression can become more focused or dialated.

Within high-population regions, enormous gates are used to facilitate more traffic, space lanes are formed to allow for several ships to traverse the tunnel at the same time, as well as multiple larger ships up to battleship class. Popular routes must be regulated and tightly controlled however, as the space and path a ship takes cannot be occupied by multiple objects, or they will collide at the tunnel apex. Another technological limitation arises with these huge gates however, the energy required to allow for such high amounts of traffic can only create enough time compression to turn the 100m/s speed limit into 1.1ly/h, this would be unacceptable for traveling greater distaces (ex. at this speed, a trip from the core to the outer reaches of the galaxy would take over 6 Earth years).

To counter this issue, smaller, and more focused, long-distace gates that allow for speeds in the upwards range of 600ly/h are in place to join the high-population regions. Long distace gates are generally big enough to accomodate space lanes for most battlecruiser hulls, making rapid deployment, expansion of territories, migration, etc. more difficult, but not impossible. Larger hulls like battleships are able to traverse these tunnels, but it requires the flow of traffic to stop and clear out before proceeding. Smaller tunnels for cruisers and smaller are commonly in place within the high-population regions and serve as express lanes, these routes are tightly regulated and cost a small sum of ooron to travel through.