Artron energy
Artron energy seemed to have a connection with life force and time travel. Those who travelled through the Time Vortex would absorb artron energy in the form of a "background radiation." Some life forms were even made of artron energy.
Properties
Visually, artron energy resembled a sort of blue electricity. Artron energy seemed to have an odour detectable by some species, such as the Groske. (TV: Death of the Doctor) It was measured in atto-Omegas. (PROSE: The Taking of Planet 5)
Artron energy altered and enhanced human antibodies, making the immune system of the human in question better at fighting diseases. (TV: Reset)
Nearby artron energy could be drained through use of an artron inhibitor. This would also prevent Time Lords from regenerating. (PROSE: The Banquo Legacy)
Usage
TARDISES
Artron energy was apparently used as a source of energy in TARDISes. The Fifth Doctor once claimed to Monarch that artron energy had a relationship to the functioning of his TARDIS (or vice versa), although he did not elaborate. (TV: Four to Doomsday) Artron energy was rich and refined in TARDISes. (TV: The Doctor's Wife)
Within the TARDIS' generator room was an Artron Energy Capacitor. (PROSE: The Algebra of Ice)
The materialisation of a TARDIS caused a massive displacement of artron energy. (PROSE: The Highest Science) This would help the scanners. (PROSE: Housewarming)
This energy was vital in the running of a TARDIS; it could run low (PROSE: Option Lock) and when down to 10% it would mean even backup power was unavailable, as this required artron energy (PROSE: The Banquo Legacy).
Other Uses
The Panjistri used artron energy to power their matter transporter. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Apocalypse)
The Eighth Doctor had a habit of using it to make toast. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)
During the Last Great Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use artron energy as a power source. A Dalek on the verge of death could be restored to operational status by the slightest touch from a time traveller. (TV: Dalek)
Sources
Living Creatures
Artron energy could be found in some organisms.
Humans
Artron energy was at low levels in humans but could be present at elevated levels in others. (PROSE: The Banquo Legacy)
Artron energy is to normal energy what movements within the deeps of the sea are to the waves on the surface. Very slight in humans, but in some other –
Coupling the human mind to a source of high-voltage electricity could result in a massive release of artron energy. The Eighth Doctor once compared the relationship between Artron and normal energy to the movement in the depths of the sea and the waves on the surface. (PROSE: The Banquo Legacy)
Artron energy would be absorbed by travelling through time, such as by travellers in a TARDIS. (TV: Invasion of the Bane, (TV: Dalek, (TV: Reset)
Even touching a TARDIS could cause the passage of artron energy. Clyde Langer absorbed some artron energy from the outside of the TARDIS as he was trying to enter it while it was trapped in a time loop made by the Trickster. He then used the energy to attack the Trickster, as he was time-sensitive. (TV: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith) The Doctor later keyed into Clyde's residual artron energy in order to make a biological swap. (TV: Death of the Doctor)
Time Lords
Time Lords also had a supply of artron energy, which was apparently used or needed for the their survival. A surge of artron energy could restore the synapses, curing amnesia. (PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles) Without artron energy, a Time Lord was unable to regenerate. (PROSE: The Banquo Legacy)
Engin noted the Fourth Doctor must have had great reserves of artron energy to survive near-fatal attacks on his person while in the Matrix. (TV: The Deadly Assassin)
The Fifth Doctor stated that Time Lords start off with a certain amount of artron energy saturating their bodies in each incarnation, with the energy accumulating over time; their energy count is 'reset' to a specific level after each regeneration to prevent the accumulative artron energy absorbed during their lives causing excessive damage (PROSE: Empire of Death).
Following his disrupted resurrection, the Master was able to offensively use energy - presumably his own artron energy - to strike his enemies with debilitating energy blasts, at the cost of reducing his own life force. (TV: The End of Time)
Others
During the later days of the Doctor's first incarnation, the Time Lord Magnus encountered and attempted to exploit a living sphere of artron energy in space, hoping (in the words of the Seventh Doctor showing a projection of the incident) that it would have enabled the Time Lords "near-unlimited supply of temporal power and complete mastery over the Vortex". (COMIC: Flashback)
Planets
According to the Master, the Cheetah World had high levels of artron energy. (PROSE: First Frontier)
The planet Kirith, one of the few remaining planets in the far future, had high levels of artron energy in its atmosphere. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Apocalypse)
Other References
- When the TARDIS' Banshee Circuits were activated, it used the mental artron energy of the Time Scaphe crew to reconfigure itself into a multi-dimensional city reminiscent of those of ancient Gallifrey. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible)
- The entity known as House fed on artron energy, the best and most refined source being TARDISes (The Eleventh Doctor compared it to preferring fish fingers over raw fish). To accomplish this he would lure wayward TARDISes into the "bubble universe" in which he resided to devour their energy supply. However he couldn't devour raw TARDIS energy as the deaths of the TARDIS consciousness would create a hole in the universe, so he would transfer the TARDIS mainframe into a human receptacle and devour the remaining artron energy. (TV: The Doctor's Wife)
- The Khameirian Essence Chamber could drain artron energy from a TARDIS and use it power itself. (PROSE: Option Lock)
- The Third Doctor had an artron energy detector. (PROSE: The Eye of the Giant)
- K9 was capable of detecting artron energy. (PROSE: Interference - Book One)
- UNIT could detect artron energy by the early 21st century; the TARDIS' arrival in the home of Amy Pond & Rory Williams prompted troops to storm the house. (TV: The Power of Three)
