FUTURE OF FUSION ENERGY, THE (Paperback)

"This book explains with astonishing clarity the science, technology and politics behind the greatest quest of our time — fusion energy. It is a delight to read." Sir Steven Cowley Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and former CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority "Excellent for the reader who wants to understand the fusion quest." Dr Bernard Bigot Director-General of the ITER project "The text provides an interesting history of previous and anticipated accomplishments, ending with a chapter on the relationship of fusion power to nuclear weaponry. They conclude on an optimistic note, well worth being understood by the general public." CHOICE The gap between the state of fusion energy research and public understanding is vast. In an entertaining and engaging narrative, this popular science book gives readers the basic tools to understand how fusion works, its potential, and contemporary research problems. Written by two young researchers in the field, The Future of Fusion Energy explains how physical laws and the Earth's energy resources motivate the current fusion program — a program that is approaching a critical point. The world's largest science project and biggest ever fusion reactor, ITER, is nearing completion. Its success could trigger a worldwide race to build a power plant, but failure could delay fusion by decades. To these ends, this book details how ITER's results could be used to design an economically competitive power plant as well as some of the many alternative fusion concepts.