Suspensor-nullification effect



The Suspensor-nullification effect is the three-dimensional incarnation of the Holtzman Effect. It was actually the first manifestation of the HE to be discovered millennia before Ibrahim Vaughn Holtzman described its principles and discovered the rest effects. It had been used in interstellar travel.

History
The suspensor-nullification effect was discovered in 13004 BG by scientists in the First Empire and one Verifax Marktoo is credited to it although it has been disputed; but research into the theory of the effect was halted for millennia since the greatest minds failed to develop a unifying theory. It was thought mistakenly to be a resonance effect arising from coherent-light mechanics, until Holtzman proved otherwise.

The effect was considered a jealously guarded Imperial secret and after about a century of experimentation and guesswork Imperial navigators finally learned how to operate the effect field with some certainty. Eventually it leaked and House Ceres with most powerful allies began the most significant program of exploration and exploitation of the history of the empire.

This however begun the end of the First Empire. The centrality crucial to administration was impossible to maintain since there was no quick method of communication (other than sending messenger ships resulting in impossibly expensive administrative costs). The First Empire ended in rebellion in 11105 BG.

Source

 * Dune Encyclopedia, entry HOLTZMAN EFFECT