How do shields work? What happens when shields are weakened and finally fail?
The shields are a forcefield. I think the TNGTM says it's a gravitational field, whereas I believe an electromagnetic field would be more credible. Anyway, while I can imagine a shield that actually deflects a phaser beam, it always looks as if the beam were absorbed. Wouldn't deflecting be a more elegant and even simpler solution? Maybe the beam is scattered, and the small fractions are not visible anymore.
Each time the shield is hit by a weapon (probably any kind of beam or projectile), it seems to be weakened, until there is finally a gap in the shield. How is this possible without hitting and damaging the shield generator or the energy source itself? Even if a short power drop occured at each hit, full power should be available briefly after, unless real (physical) damage is done.
------------------ "No, thanks. I've had enough. One more cup and I'll jump to warp." (Janeway, asked if she would like some coffee in "Once upon a Time") www.uni-siegen.de/~ihe/bs/startrek/
Of course, I suppose I will eventually rewrite this when I come up witha better theory.
--Baloo
------------------ "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -- Plato www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :
Sounds reasonable. You're right there have to be different defenses against particles of different mass, speed and charge. The absorptive shield is the part of the shielding responsible for the power surges inside the ship, if the stored charge is released. Not a bad idea.
Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :
My explanation is a form of backwards engineering. I tried to remember what the shields did, how they appeared to do what they did, then come up with a description of how they work that covers what we've seen on-screen without contradicting it.
--Baloo
------------------ "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -- Plato www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
Posted by Cargile (Member # 45) on :
just like a wire moved through a magnetic field will generate electricity and current through a wire will generate a magnetic field, shields will diminish as feedback energy surges damage the shield system.
------------------ "Minsk."
Cmdr Worf
Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :
If shields are "down", this could mean physical damage to the shield generators, or it could mean that energy absorbers (some kind of capacitors) are full. I wonder if the energy of incoming fire can be converted to power the ship's defensive or other systems or maybe the phasers.