Phasers

Phasers are the most common energy weapon in use by a number of powers in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, including the Federation, Cardassians, and Bajorans. Originally an acronym meaning “PHASed Energy Rectification,” phasers operate by the application of the so-called “rapid nadion effect (RNE),” using nadions to amplify the effect of superconducting crystals to create a coherent and highly-controllable beam of energy to create effects ranging from heating targets to causing targets to lose molecular cohesion entirely.

Emplacement Types

Hand Phasers - Hand phasers are small enough to be used by humanoids with a single hand.

Phaser Rifles - Larger than hand phasers, phaser rifles require two-handed use by most humanoids.

Field Emplacements - Field emplacements must either be mounted to a building or require set-up in the field.

Banks - Phaser Banks are vehicle-based emplacements that fire as a single unit, typically in a fixed direction. These were the most common style of large phaser until the early 2300s, with the most typical arrangement being banks mounted in ball turrets.

Arrays - Phaser arrays consist of many interlocked emitter segments that build a charge through the entire array to achieve significantly greater destructive force than any single emitter could. Since the 2330s, these have been the most common style of phaser in use by Starfleet.

Pulse Cannons - Pulse Phaser Cannons use special focusing crystals to build a layered pulse of energy, approaching the power of an array but in a much smaller form factor.

Output Classifications

Phasers are further classified by type, based on their maximum theoretical output. Their actual output is dependent on the power available to them; the benefit of employing larger arrays than a vessel could comfortably use at full power is to increase reliability and fleet standardization. The increase in power between various phaser types is not equal across the scale due to the idiosyncratic properties of nadion fields, which makes some types uneconomical to use.

Type I - 0.005MW
Type II - 0.01MW
Type III - 0.02MW
Type-IV - 0.1MW
Type-V - 0.5MW
Type-VI - 1.5MW
Type-VII - 2MW
Type-VIII - 2.5MW
Type-IX - 3MW
Type-X -5.1MW
Type-XI - 6MW
Type-XII - 8MW
Type-XIII 9MW
Type-XIV - 10MW
Type-XV - 12MW

Theoretically, most of these output classifications could be built in any form factor, though Starfleet typically uses just a few combinations of emplacement and output types. The most common phasers in use as of 2399 are:

Type-I and Type-II Hand Phasers: Standard landing party equipment
Type-III Phaser Rifles: Carried aboard most Starfleet ships
Type-IV Phaser Field Emplacements: Uncommon aboard most ships, but stocked for tactical missions.
Type-V Phaser Arrays: Standard array for armed shuttlecraft
Type-VI Phaser Arrays: Standard array for runabouts
Type-X Phaser Arrays: Standard array for second-line starships and small space stations
Type-XII Phaser Arrays: Standard array for front-line starships and most space stations
Type XII Phaser Cannons: Employed generally only on escort-type starships
Type-XIV Phaser Banks: Ground-to-Orbit defense emplacement
Type-XV Phaser Arrays Major starbases only:

Historically, the following types were also in use, but have since been retired:

Type-VI Phaser Banks: Employed aboard starships in the 2250s such as the Constitution-class. Generally in double ball turret emplacements.
Type-VII Phaser Banks: Introduced in the 2270s on the Miranda-class refit. Generally in double ball turret emplacements
Type-VIII: Introduced in the 2290s on the Excelsior-class. Generally in double ball turret emplacements
Type-IX: Introduced in the 2330s on the Ambassador-class. First phaser type to be built as an array.