Hi.As you may know,SW ships (at least ISDs) use as power source a "Solar Ionization Reactor".As I'm quite puzzled about the name,here're my theories about how it could work:
1).A fusion reactor (from typical hydrogen-hydrogen fusion (proton-proton and/or carbon cycle) to fusion of heavy elements as occur on the last stages of the life of massive and very massive stars).
2) M-AM reactors as the ST ones (but with MUCH HIGHER energy output and no doubt much more advanced).
3)Vacuum energy (at least,according to A.C.Clarke.In "3001" he comments there're enough energy in a cup to make Earth's ocean to boil).
4)Something more exotic.
Naturally,these theories are not excluyent.Due to the HUGE energy requeriments of SW ships (mainly due hyperdrive,weapon systems,shields),probably the second and third alternatives are the more pausible.Especially the second one (and maybe also the first one) if we consider that in SW seems quite easy to compress matter to largue densities (remember it's said neutronium is used) and the reactor could use supercompressed matter to run (that,of course,would make SW ships more massive of what they're).What do you think?.
Solar Ionization Reactors:
Moderator: Vympel
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Patrick Degan
- Emperor's Hand
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You must still be going by Shane Johnston's Star Wars Technical Manual. The present official sources cite the exotic material "hypermatter" as the basis for Imperial power reactors as opposed to the more imprecise "solar ionisation reactor" terminology. Refer to the Star Wars Encyclopedia and the Incredible Cross-Sections books.
