Tech Grav Technology

Gravity or "grav tech" is used extensively throughout the universe. It's a technology with very diverse applications, but also hugely expensive on a larger scale due to massive power requirements and the needed high-tech expertise.

Development of this technology so far relied more on practical experimental than on theoretical physics. After several hundred years scientists still haven't been able to produce a self-consistent unified quantum gravity theory, but experiments have clearly shown Einstein gravitational waves after all. Two objects orbiting each other in any quasi-Keplerian planar orbit, irregular spinning bodies, and a multitude of other sources, produce gravity waves ("bands") propagating through space as a change in the gravitational potential.

Grav tech cannot create gravity fields in the same sense as electromagnetic fields are created. However it's been discovered that there are certain ways to influence the existing gravity field. Certain materials possessing abnormal electromagnetic properties (superconductors, silicon-based nanomaterials etc.) act as micro gravity lenses when exposed to high-frequency electromagnetic fields, displacing or locally amplifying the gravity waves. This effect can be controlled very precisely if necessary.

The grav effect is provided by grav generators or grav emitters, those are technically two separate parts of the grav system but often the names are used interchangeably. In fact the grav generator is the source of the electromagnetic field while the emitter is the material influencing the actual gravity field.

Grav is used as the primary means of spaceship steering (not propulsion) via the use of grav fins. These "fins" shape the the engine exhaust output to steer. The main advantage is that a ship only needs one engine, instead of many retro-rockets to control speed and direction.

Initially a by-product of ships' grav engines, the shields have been developed to also protect the ship from collision damage and, to some extent, weapons. The grav effect is used as shields mostly around military vessels, due to the grav field oscillations producing an electromagnetic field feedback that'll disperse most plasma-based projectiles on contact.

Grav shields can be used within a planet's atmosphere, but due to the grav field displacing the air molecules causing insane heat up from friction; they'll literally burn through the atmo. Ships that wouldn't be otherwise atmo-capable can attempt landing on a planet, but keeping both lift with the grav engines and a shield strong enough to protect from friction damage would require massive amounts of power, for most ships going through the reserves within minutes.

Stationary grav shields can be used in planet-side combat, but they'll work more like hardkill active protection systems, producing precise localized grav effects that will either disrupt the incoming projectile's flight trajectory or outright stop/detonate it mid-air.