interference
ARES System Manual: Interference

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a general term for any form of radiation that adversely affects system operation.

In general use, 'interference' more specifically indicates any unexpected signals that cause behavior contrary to design parameters, but for legal reasons, NS units are designed to specifically accept five bands of EMI.

- C-band radiation ('hard' X rays in the range 80 to 105 keV) interferes with cognition and thought generation. Common sources include faster-than-light travel (teleport) wakes and nuclear fission.
- M-band radiation (ultra high frequency (UHF) radio at 10 micro eV, or 2.449 GHz) interferes with motor control. Microwave ovens emit frequencies in this band.
- N-band radiation (gamma rays in the range 1.1 to 1.2 MeV) interferes with memory access, impairing GPS and identification. Common sources include airport scanners, gamma-ray bursts, and nuclear fission.
- S-band radiation ('soft' X rays in the range 3 to 7 keV) interferes with speech production. Most S-band radiation comes from medical scanning equipment.
- Y-band radiation (extremely high frequency (EHF) radio at 413 meV, or 99.93 GHz) interferes with sensory input. Teleport wakes, short-range radar, and active denial weapons emit this frequency.

Although no system is perfectly reliable at preventing the undesirable effects of EMI, radiation mitigation is an active area of research, and there are several robust solutions available, including Meissner-effect shields and the Jovian ECM suite.

See combat for further information on avoiding interference.