Lost in Transmission

by Wil McCarthy

  Ophiuchus —(prop n) A large, dim, nonzodiacal constellation, “The Snake Holder,” beginning between Scorpius and Sagittarius near the Sol ecliptic plane and extending some 50 degrees northward.

  Oxygen candle —(n) A mixture of sodium chlorate and iron, typically enclosed in a metal housing, which smolders at 600°C, producing iron oxide, sodium chloride, and approximately 6.5 man-hours of oxygen gas per kilogram of candle. Widely used in spacecraft, submarines, caves, and mines where breathable atmosphere may be intermittently unavailable.

  Palasa —(n) Barnardean term for aristocrats or other privileged individuals, often considered derogatory.

  Pantrope —(n) Any organism whose morphology or genome has been altered for the purposes of pantropy. Applied especially to human and human-descended beings.

  Pantropy —(n) Literally: complete change. The practice of altering the genome or morphology of an organism to enable its survival in a new environment. From the English “pantropic,” or “found everywhere,” and/or the Greek “pan” (completely) and “tropos” (turning or changing in response to a stimulus). Attributed to James Blish.

  Passfax —(n) Any fax machine including both an input and output plate operating simultaneously. Such devices are employed where presorted buffer mass is unavailable or where mass buffers are smaller than the objects being produced.

  Periapsis —(n) The point along an orbit at which gravitational potential is minimized and kinetic energy is maximized. The point of “minimum altitude” above the orbit's focus or centroid.

  Petabyte —(n) A measure of data storage equal to 1015 bytes or 8 quadrillion digital bits.

  Pharyngitis —(n) Inflammation of the pharynx. A sore throat.

  Philander —(n) A title granted to formal consorts of the Queen of Sol. Only four Philanders were ever named.

  Photobraking —(n) The gross reduction of velocity by means of a photosail.

  Photosail —(n) Any nearly two-dimensional device whose primary function is to derive mechanical energy from the pressure of reflected light, including sunlight, starlight, and radiation from artificial sources. The term “solar sail” is sometimes applied colloquially, but in fact solar sails are a subset of photosails.

  Photosphere —(n) The hot, opaque, convectively stable plasma layer of a star beginning at the photopause, responsible for most thermal and visible emissions. Usually less than 1000 kilometers deep, with temperatures of several thousand kelvins and the approximate pressure of Earth's stratosphere. The photosphere floats atop the deep hydrogen convection zones of the stellar interior.

  Photospinnaker —(n) A photosail anchored and/or controlled by guylines, with no direct physical attachment to its parent vehicle. In practice, most photosails other than mill sails are photospinnakers.

  Photovoltaics —(n) Materials or devices capable of generating an electrical voltage with the input of light energy, through the liberation of bound electrons in a preferred direction. In many isolated devices, wellstone pseudomaterials must be photovoltaic in order to maintain their other properties using ambient radiation.

  Picometer —(n) A measure of distance equal to 10-12 meters or one-billionth of a millimeter.

  Picosecond —(n) A measure of time equal to 10-12 seconds or one-billionth of a millisecond.

  Pid —(n) Possibly an abbreviation of “period.” A measure of time equal to 20 Barnardean hours or 71,875 standard seconds. There are 23 pids in a Barnardean day. Attributed to Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui.

  Piezoelectric —(adj) Decribes a substance, often crystalline, which produces a voltage when pressure is applied to it, or which experiences mechanical deformation in response to a voltage.

  Pilinisi Sola —(prop n) Formal title of the Prince of Sol.

  Pilinisi Tonga —(prop n) Formal title of the Prince of Tonga.

  Pion —(n) An unstable, spin-zero meson possessing one-ninth the mass and +1, 0, or -1 times the charge of a proton, and a half-life of 2.6 ¥ 10-8 seconds.

  Planette —(n) Any artificial celestial body consisting of a stony or earthy lithosphere surrounding a core or shell of supercondensed (neutronic) matter. The vast majority of planettes are designed for human habitation and include Earthlike surface gravity and breathable atmospheres.

  Plibbles —(n) Fruits of the plibble tree. Colloquially: deranged or misinformed.

  Podship —(n) Any vehicle designed to operate both in space and on the tuberail system of a planetary surface. Employed extensively in the Barnard, Wolf, and Lalande colonies.

  Positronium —(n) A material consisting of “atoms” made from one electron and one positron orbiting their mutual center of attraction. Unstable in free space, positronium is generally stored in magnetic nanobottles between the fibers of bulk wellstone.

  Print plate —(n) The largest single component of a fax machine, responsible for assembling and disassembling finished goods at the atomic level. Print plates are generally flat and most typically rectangular, although with effort they can be fashioned as cylinders or other three-dimensional forms.

  Prokaryote —(n) Any member of a domain of single-celled organisms lacking intracellular organelles and an organized nucleus. Some prokaryotic cells are capable of forming systematized colonies, with minor details of cellular morphology and activity varying as a function of position within the colony. However, no true multicellular prokaryotic organisms have been identified in any star system. Prokaryotes are thought to be descended from archaea.

  Pseudoatom —(n) The organization of electrons into Schrödinger orbitals and pseudo-orbitals, made possible with great precision in a designer quantum dot. The properties of pseudoatoms do not necessarily mimic those of natural atoms.

  Quantum dot —(n) A device for constraining the position of one or more charge carriers (e.g., electrons) in all three spatial dimensions, such that quantum (“wavelike”) effects dominate over classical (“particle-like”) effects. Charge carriers trapped in a quantum dot will arrange themselves into standing waveforms analogous to the electron orbitals of an atom. Thus, the waveforms inside a quantum dot may be referred to collectively as a pseudoatom.

  Reportant —(n) Any person or mechanism gathering information for public distribution.

  Rodenbeck, Wenders —(prop n) Playwright and Poet Laureate of the Queendom of Sol.

  Sensorium, neural —(n) Any system for channeling synthetic neural inputs into the brain. Sometimes employed as a form of torture, but generally considered a medium for education and entertainment, especially in remote environments.

  Shift, Barnardean —(n) A measure of time equal to 10 Barnardean hours or 35,937.5 standard seconds. There are two shifts in a pid, and 23 pids in a Barnardean day. Attributed to Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui.

  Sila'a —(n) A pinpoint fusion generator or “pocket star” consisting of a wellstone-sheathed neutronium core surrounded by gaseous deuterium. From the Tongan si'i (“small”) and la'aa (“sun”).

  Sketchplate —(n) A thin, rectangular block or sheet of wellstone sized and preprogrammed for the portable display and input of text, drawings, and physical simulations.

  Skyhook —(n) Any device or structure spanning the region between a planet's atmosphere and the surrounding vacuum, especially as part of a transportation system.

  Smalter —(n) A fax machine specialized for the extraction of useful elements from ore or waste, and/or the dispensing of purified elements as part of an industrial process.

  Spall —(v, n) To break up or reduce via the removal of small surface particles, as with a chisel or laser. As a noun, a particle which has been struck from the surface of a larger object.

  Squozen Moon, the (see Lune)

  Stealth —(n) Concealment, especially during movement or action. Colloquially, a synonym for technologically derived invisibility.

  Superabsorber —(n) Any material capable of absorbing 100% of incident light in a given wavelength band. The only known universal superabsorber (i.e., functioning at all wavelengths) is the event ho
rizon of a hypermass. (Approximations of 100% absorption are generally referred to as “black.”)

  Superfluid —(n, adj) Any fluidized material capable of propagating with zero friction and zero viscosity. The vast majority of superfluids are either cryogenic, as with liquid helium, or supercondensed, as with neutronium.

  Superinsulator —(n) A material or device which completely forbids the passage of electrons in a given energy band. Universal superinsulators (i.e., functioning at all energies) are unknown and may be physically impossible.

  Superreflector —(n) Any material capable of reflecting 100% of incident light in a given wavelength band. No universal superreflectors are known. (Approximations of 100% reflectance are generally referred to as “mirrors.”)

  Ta'ahine —(n) A maiden or virgin, or a mature woman of high status.

  Taha mano ta'u —Traditional Tongan birthday wish. Literally: ten thousand years.

  Talematangi —(n) On the Barnardean world of Sorrow, aka Planet Two, a persistent cough brought on by atmospheric halogens and other irritants. From the Tongan tale (“cough”) and matangi (“air” or “atmosphere”).

  Tazzer —(n) A short-range beam weapon consisting of pulsed, coaxial streams of electrons and metal ions in a guide beam of blue or violet laser light. Tazzers are primarily used to induce temporary incapacity (pain, paralysis, unconsciousness), although lethal versions also exist.

  Teleport valve —(n) A device for regulating the flow of atoms or molecules between two discontinuous points in space.

  Telomere —(n) The natural end of a eukaryotic chromosome, used in biology as a regulator of cell division. The shortening of telomeres within the cells of an organism is both a marker and a determinant of geriatry. Complete erosion of the telomere results in cellular senescence and is generally considered fatal in the long term.

  Terraform —(v) To make Earthlike. In general, to match the gravity, climate, and atmosphere of a planet or planette to that of Earth, possibly including the imposition of a stable biosphere. Enclosed spaces are “climate controlled” rather than terraformed. Attributed to Jack Williamson.

  Timoch —(prop n) Capital city of the Luner nation of Imbria, with a population of approximately 2 million.

  Titranium —(n) Public domain wellstone substance characterized by moderate flexibility, extreme toughness, and a lustrous gray appearance.

  Tonga —(n) Former Earth kingdom consisting of the Tongatapu, Ha'apai, and Vava'u archipelagoes of Polynesia, and scattered islands occasionally including parts of Samoa and Fiji. Tonga was the only Polynesian nation never to be conquered or colonized by a foreign power, and was the last human monarchy prior to the Q1 establishment of the Queendom of Sol.

  Tuberail —(n) A monorail system in which the rail, usually circular in cross-section, carries power and other utilities between destinations and for the benefit of tuberail cars and podships traveling along it.

  Tui Barnarda —(n) Formal title of the King of Barnard.

  Ullage —(n) Waste, inefficiency, or loss. The space in a container which cannot practically be filled, and also the remnant contents of a container or plumbing network which cannot practically be emptied.

  Upsystem —(adj or adv) One of the six cardinal directions: away from the sun in any orientation.

  Varna —(prop n) A 640-meter-radius planette constructed in orbit around Luna by private investors during the latter years of the Queendom of Sol. Site of the Q1290 Treaty of Varna, granting Right of Return to Barnard refugees.

  Vendory —(n) A portable device consisting of a power supply, mass buffer, fax hardware, and small print plate, usually capable of drawing additional buffer mass from the atmosphere. High-quality vendories are technically capable of producing almost any device or substance, but are generally restricted by software and tradition to the production of foodstuffs and eating utensils.

  Waldo —(n) Any teleoperation system where movements of the operator's hands are replicated by handlike devices at a remote location. Attributed to Robert Heinlein.

  Wellcloth —(n) A fabric woven wholly or partially from wellstone fibers. While sheet wellstone could technically be considered a form of cloth, the term “wellcloth” is generally reserved for fabrics with weave lengths larger than 1 micrometer.

  Wellglass —(n) Any wellstone substance which is both optically transparent and electrically insulative, often employed as the default state of wellstone devices. Most typically refers to a wellstone substance closely emulating the properties of transparent silica-soda-lime (SiO2, NaO, CaO) “window glass” preparations except in terms of mass and toughness. In general, natural substances containing a preponderance of silicon are the easiest to emulate in a wellstone matrix.

  Wellstone —(n) A substance consisting of fine, semiconductive fibers studded with quantum dots, capable of emulating a broad range of natural, artificial, and hypothetical materials. Typical wellstone is composed primarily of pure silicon, silicon dioxide, and gold.

  Wellwood —(n) An emulation of lignous cellulose (“wood”), often employed as the default state of wellstone devices.

  Wideband —(adj) Describes any signal, carrier, or network with a bandwidth greater than 100 MHz or an effective data rate greater than 100 Mbit/sec.

  Williamson, Jack —(prop n) American romanticist of the Old Modern period.

  Zettahertz —(n) A measure of frequency equal to 1021 Hertz, or one thousand billion billion cycles per second.

  appendix C

  technical notes

  wellstone

  For those readers only now joining the series, the programmable “wellstone” material which pervades it may seem a bit startling. However, it's drawn for the most part from established science: other than mass, the observable properties of matter are determined by the electron clouds surrounding the atoms and molecules. By confining electrons in approximately atom-sized spaces, it's possible to replicate these properties, or to produce temporary new “elements” which could never occur in nature. Anyone interested in such programmable materials should check out my nonfiction book on the subject: Hacking Matter (Basic Books, March 2003, ISBN 0-465-04429-8).

  invisibility

  Near-perfect invisibility is a technically feasible (though power-hungry) application for programmable materials. Indeed, if computing power continues its relentless advance, then a form of “stealth fabric” may be achievable even with mid-twenty-first century technology. Anyone interested can look up my Wired article on the subject at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.08/pwr_invisible.htm

  The illusion will work under most circumstances if the material can emit light as bright as the sky, as well as the light reflecting from the ground and other objects. This presents a challenge during daylight, however, since the sun is around 20,000 times brighter than the sky around it. Stealthed warriors will cast shadows if their fabric's light sources are unable to match this brightness, because the light shining “through” them will appear dimmer than the sunlight falling around their edges.

  deutrelium

  This is my own name for a material consisting of equal numbers of deuterium (hydrogen with one extra neutron) and helium 3 (helium with one missing neutron) atoms. Although 3He is rare on Earth itself, it's quite common throughout the universe, in gas giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn. It's favored by fusion energy enthusiasts (particularly armchair starship designers) because when fused with deuterium, its reaction products are all charged particles, which can be contained with magnetic or electric fields. Other fusion reactions are either less energetic, more difficult to ignite, or produce neutrons or gamma rays which present a radiation hazard. Other than antimatter, deutrelium is the likeliest fuel for practical starships.

  Of course, without ertial shielding these could be nowhere near as large as Newhope.

  the planets of barnard

  In the 1960s, astronomer Peter Van de Kamp claimed to have discovered, in the wobbling motion of the stars, a pair of gas giants in circular orbits around B
arnard, with periods of twelve and twenty-six years. Since both alleged bodies were slightly smaller than Jupiter, it now seems clear that his instruments and methods were not sensitive enough to make this detection, although his observations continued, and he remained adamant about the discovery until his death in 1995. Meanwhile, George Gatewood published a number of papers—the most recent in the year of Van de Kamp's death—detailing the upper mass limits for Barnard planets based on the absence of a conclusive wobble in images taken of the star. However, the planets claimed by Van de Kamp fall within Gatewood's limits, and thus were not disproven per se.

  In 2002 and 2003 I corresponded with an astronomer named Chris McCarthy (no relation to me that I know of), who'd been patiently compiling Doppler data on Barnard. He assured me that given everything he knew, a terrestrial planet like Sorrow was entirely plausible, though of course not provable with current technology. He had other measurements which promised to detail the orbits of any large gas giants that existed around the star, but as of this mid-2003 writing his results remained unpublished, and therefore politely secret. However, a related paper, “The low-level radial velocity variability in Barnard's star” by Kurster et al., Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.403, p.1077–1087 (2003), tightens Gatewood's maximums with an upper mass limit of 0.87 Jupiter masses between 0.017 and 0.98 AU (8.5 to 488 light-seconds) and 3.1 Neptune masses in the “habitable zone” between 0.034 and 0.082 AU (17 to 41 light-seconds).

  Interestingly, this still leaves room for Van de Kamp's planets. For the purposes of this story, I opted for the somewhat romantic notion that Van de Kamp was exactly (if flukishly) correct. (“I know of nothing to rule this out,” Chris McCarthy reassured me. “You can certainly let your imagination set the limits.”) Thus, one of the planets is named after Van de Kamp and the other after Gatewood, with the small inner planets—discovered much later and with minimal human intervention—being, like the majority of comets and asteroids here in our Old Modern Sol system, nameless. I would have loved to have named a planet after Chris McCarthy as well, but wanted to avoid the appearance that I was naming it after myself or, nepotistically, after someone in my extended family. I did name the system's first and only shipyard after Martin Kurster.