Cloaking Technology

Cloaking is the term used to hide vessels from visual and sensory detection.
Since as early as the 23rd century, the Federation has struggled to compete with invisible enemies.
The first cloaking device encountered by the Federation was in 2266,
under use of the Romulan Star Empire. Cloaking technology was shared with the Klingons around 2268, during an alliance with the Romulans.
The Federation agreed to prohibit the use of cloaking devices on its ships in the 2310's,
in the Treaty of Algeron. The one and only exception has been the U.S.S. Defiant, but even then it was only to be used in the Gamma quadrant, and in exchange for intelligence reports
on the Dominion. A cloak is an energy screen.

On the one hand it refracts light and
other radiation around ship at faster-than-light speed so
appears that there nothing blocking its path. blocks emitting from starship. cloaking
generator coil main engine behind emits coherent graviton field to redirect heading towards
ship. passed hull of in subspace. travels make up for lost time taking longer route.
let out point where would be just as if had gone straight through end effect transparent.
further hide must mask being emitted itself.

Nullifier cores dissipate these emissions reducing output remodulating signature
give appearance background energy. needed power not directly proportional amount masked.
This way takes nearly same all does Fortunately long-range sensors can detect only certain
wavelenghts electromagnetic those wavelengths need masked when are no ships
immediate vicinity. Cloaked ships are not undetectable. Starfleet, in its many
meetings with cloaked enemies, has devised methods to find such ships.
One is using a tachyon heterodyne detection grid, a network of tachyon beams.
Developped by Geordi LaForge, the net is disrupted when cloaking fields
are passed through. Other methods include using subspace
listening posts or relay stations, which can pick up warp activity, and
gravitic sensor nets that can detect the use of the nullifier cores.