metamat_d [Imperial Archives Initiative]

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====== Metamat D ======

Metamat D is a lattice of carbon composite with the ability to trap radiation within itself. It has an extremely large surface area thanks to the shape of its structure. When electricity is applied to the lattice, the structure changes and radiates the trapped energy within. In the commercial world it is also known as Radiation Dispersing Material, or RDM.

===== Usage =====

==== Radiators ====

Metamat D is most commonly used as radiators for starships or orbital habitats. Their high surface area means that covering a ship in Metamat D is more than enough to cool all of that ship’s systems. It has also found use as heat piping. When enclosed in a tube around itself, it can retain 99.5% (approx) heat inside of it. This allows for both extremely efficient heating systems, reactors, and terraforming systems alike. Finally, Metamat D is also useful as stealth coating for warships. When coupled with O1 clusters or an O2 computer onboard a warship, Metamat D can be manipulated in real time to absorb incoming radar emissions as well as internal heat emissions. This energy can then be radiated out in a direction away from hostile sensors. 

==== Armor ====

The material doubles as a de facto armor layer for warships against nuclear, laser, and thermal attacks by absorbing the energy radiated and expelling it away. However, the material can quickly become saturated and cook the internals of the ship. To combat this, shipboard computers will typically switch to a full radiating mode after a certain energy threshold is hit. In this mode, the material no longer absorbs radiation and instead will allow it to bleed through, making the internals vulnerable, but allows the ship to quickly vent all of its excess heat.

==== Stealth ====

Stealthships wrapped in Metamat-D use the material as a heat sink to lower their external temperatures down to ambient levels in space. Long arrays of RDM compacted into cubes give these types of ships several weeks of thermal invisibility until the system becomes saturated and must expel the heat before the internals melt. RDM, however, cannot hide the nuclear plume of a fusion drive firing, so stealthships must fire their engines while obscured behind a celestial body or plot their course long in advance before they even enter hostile territory.