Thread:Ghelæ/@comment-29927902-20161001081010/@comment-29927902-20161001213049

hmm... While I was gone I had actually come up with a (in my opinion) pretty convincing explanation as to how shields work. Basic deflector shields fire a beam of electrons that is so dense, that it is actually solid, using a magnetic field to bring it back to the generator to be reused. Such technology is not only possible, but already being used (though with plasma instead of electrons). In fact, this is how plasma steel cutters work. Such a solid would be extremely strong, for even if you did manage to break through it, whatever projectile you are using is now riding a conveyor belt away from the ship at the speed of light. To pierce the shield, you would need a negatively charged projectile. You, clearly, can't use a positively charged particle, the result would be similar to a brick wall growing an arm and stabbing you with a knife. A negative projectile, if made right, will use an aerodynamic magnetic field (negative, of course) to slide through the electron barrier (that's probably the first time the words "aerodynamic" and "magnetic field" have ever been used in the same sentence). However, this projectile will have to move very fast, to counter the effects of like-repels-like that all magnetic fields have. There would also be a monopole "fog" (negative) under the shield, forcing the enemy to weaken the magnetic field on their projectile or risk watching the projectile never hit its target. The "phase" that can pierce through the shield would probably refer to the strength of the magnetic field on the projectile. It can't be too strong, or else the monopolium (or, heck, maybe even the electrons themselves) will repel the bullet, and it can't be too weak, or else the bullet will never get through the electron barrier. Multiphasic shields, from what I've heard, have multiple phases and a bullet would need to have all of them to pierce the shield, which I think could be achieved by adding muons and taus to the barrier. These two particles, being more massive, are more resistant to being pushed aside, and therefore, require a stronger magnetic field, but at the same time, you also want a weak field so the bullet doesn't get repelled by the shield. Heck, I'm probably wrong, I don't really know how a multiphasic shield works. Nonphasic, however, are slightly easier. Simply throw away the electrons and monopoles altogether, and replace them with photons. Photons, having no magnetic charge, would be immune to the magnetic field around the bullet, but at the same time, they are very difficult to bring back to your ship, because you can't use magnets, either, so instead, you would have to bend space itsself, thus explaining why only the most advanced races have access to nonphasic shields.