The wave motion engine is an infinite-energy device created by the Iscandarians and delivered to Earth to enable mankind to develop a spacecraft capable to crossing the galactic distances between the Milky Way galaxy and the Great Magellanic Cloud.
In Yamato 2199, it was explained that the Wave Motion Engine is a device that harnesses the energy of higher dimensions. The core of the Wave Motion Engine is able to expand compactified higher dimensions from curled-up Calabi-Yau manifolds, and in the process releases significant amounts of energy and tachyons. Mankind was able to learn how to harness this energy based on the Buchinsky Wave Motion equation. The Wave Motion engine is placed in a reactor core on board the Yamato, in which the power output is coupled to a large engine with a mechanical flywheel. Energy is stored in this reactor assembly and is diverted to a tachyon particle oscillator control unit before being used to drive a turbine for energy production.
When used to power the Wave Motion Gun, the output of the expanded higher dimensions is routed to a gravity wave compression unit. The resultant super-gravity wave that is directed towards the firing bolt of the wave motion gun generates a dense continuous stream of micro black holes. As these micro black holes are being directed outwards, they evaporate rapidly and release Hawking radiation as their entire mass-energy is converted to energy. This is the key behind the Wave Motion Gun's destructive force.
When used as a source of propulsion, the aft-facing gravity wave compression chamber works in tandem with the fore-facing gravity wave compression chamber to create a wormhole ahead of the ship while encapsulating the Yamato within its own spacetime bubble. As the Yamato enters Warp navigation, the ship will traverse the wormhole at faster-than-light speeds but the flow of time within its local spacetime bubble will be momentarily frozen. To the crew of the Yamato, time stands still during a warp jump, and it would appear that the warp jump takes just nanoseconds to complete.