Red matter

Red matter is an exotic substance that appears in the 2009 Star Trek movie.

Red matter is apparently an artificial material created by the Vulcan Science Academy in the 2380's. Manufacturing red matter requires an extremely rare mineral called "decalithium".

When activated, red matter creates a black hole, consuming any nearby matter to increase the mass of the black hole. A tiny quantity of red matter is sufficient to start the process.

The exact conditions for activating red matter aren't clear, although a matter-antimatter explosion such as that of a warp core breach or photon torpedo detonation appears to be sufficient.