A GUTdrive is a drive unifying the strong nuclear, weak nuclear, and magnetic forces of nature into one. It creates a flash with a temperature not seen since the birth of the universe, or a jet of "Quagma" (Quark-Gluon Plasma). GUTdrives are able to provide energy to accelerate reaction-mass (called that not because any chemical or nuclear reaction occurs, but because of Newton’s Third Law) to near lightspeed, and therefore near maximum specific impulse. They can also provide nearly infinite thrust, as doing so does not decrease efficiency as proven by the humans on Chiron. This means that, when active, the GUTdrive has nearly infinite range.
Notable GUTships include the Gallier, Hermit Crab, Assimilator's Claw, Mayflower, Payne, Constancy of Purpose, and Bellona.
Principle[]
The GUTdrive is based on the concept of Grand Unified Theory. It works by bombarding a “fist-sized” chunk of hydrogen to the temperature of the big bang, allowing the unification of the fundamental forces in that region. It was found that when allowing the core to cool, more energy is released in the phase-change back to normal matter than was put in. In this sense, the GUT drive is a violation of the conservation of energy.
The energy released is nearly unlimited, as it can be used to reheat the GUT drive core and initiate a new cycle of energy extraction, while the remaining energy is used for power, either to supply electricity to some system or to thermally heat reaction matter and use as a rocket.
Development[]
GUT energy was discovered in the late 2020s on Earth, an anomaly in particle accelerator data. It is unknown how the energy was generated to reach GUT temperatures, as this corresponds to a temperature of approximately 10^27 K. Presumably it was an extension of modern Quark-Gluon Plasma experiments, which in the modern day reach temperatures of 1.66x10^12 K per particle. These particles are accelerated and collided to form the QGP, but do not show the properties of GUT matter as in the Xeelee universe.
It can be assumed that the temperatures were increased in successive particle accelerator experiments in the first three decades of the millennium, resulting in the unification of the forces into one super force, creating GUT matter.
By the time of Transcendent, the technology of GUT reactors had been miniaturised sufficiently to fit into the small components of Michael Poole-Bazalget’s plan to refreeze the Siberian tundra and prevent catastrophic greenhouse gas emissions.
The GUT drive was eventually incorporated into spaceship engines, allowing the exploration and colonisation of the solar system. The capability for interstellar travel existed as soon as the drive was developed, so the humanity’s lack of expansion must be attributed to a lack of political or economic will to do so.
Quagmites[]
A GUTdrive's main flaw is the attraction of "Quagmites;" creatures made of Quark-Gluon plasma. They are able to cause substantial damage to the GUTdrive and possibly kill the crew.