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Fusion-The-Energy-Of-The-Universe Fusion The Energy of the Universe WHAT IS THE COMPLEMENTARY SCIENCE SERIES? We hope you enjoy this book. If you would like to read other quality science books with a similar orientation see the order form and reproductions of the front and back covers of other books in the series at the end of this book. The Complementary Science Series is an introductory, interdisciplinary, and relatively inexpensive series of paperbacks for science enthusiasts. The series covers core subjects in chemistry, physics, and biological sciences but often from an interdisciplinary perspective. They are deliberately unburdened by excessive pedagogy, which is distracting to many readers, and avoid the often plodding treatment in many textbooks. These titles cover topics that are particularly appropriate for self-study although they are often used as complementary texts to supplement standard discussion in textbooks. Many are available as examination copies to professors teaching appropriate courses. The series was conceived to fill the gaps in the literature between conventional textbooks and monographs by providing real science at an accessible level, with minimal prerequisites so that students at all stages can have expert insight into important and foundational aspects of current scientific thinking. Many of these titles have strong interdisciplinary appeal and all have a place on the bookshelves of literate laypersons. Potentialauthorsareinvitedtocontactoureditorialoffice: [email protected]. Feedback on the titles is welcome. Titles in the Complementary Science Series are detailed at the end of these pages. A 15% discount is available (to owners of this edition) on other books in this series—see order form at the back of this book. Physics Physics in Biology and Medicine, 2nd Edition; Paul Davidovits, 0122048407 Introduction to Relativity; John B. Kogut, 0124175619 Fusion: The Energy of the Universe; Garry McCracken and Peter Stott, 012481851X Chemistry The Physical Basis of Chemistry, 2nd Edition; Warren S. Warren, 0127358552 Chemistry Connections: The Chemical Basis of Everyday Phenomena, 2nd Edition; Kerry K. Karukstis and Gerald R. Van Hecke, 0124001513 Fundamentals of Quantum Chemistry; James E. House, 0123567718 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics; S. M. Blinder, 0121060519 Geology Earth Magnetism; Wallace Hall Campbell, 0121581640 www.books.elsevier.com Fusion The Energy of the Universe Garry McCracken and Peter Stott Amsterdam Boston Heidelberg London New York Oxford Paris San Diego San Francisco Singapore Sydney Tokyo Acquisition Editor: Jeremy Hayhurst Project Manager: Troy Lilly Editorial Assistant: Desireé Marr Marketing Manager: Linda Beattie Cover Design: Eric DeCicco Composition: Cepha Imaging Private Limited Interior Printer: Hing Yip Printing Company Elsevier Academic Press 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803, USA 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495, USA 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Customer Support” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McCracken, G. M. Fusion : the energy of the universe / Garry M. McCracken and Peter Stott. p. cm. – (Complementary science series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-12-481851-X (pbk. : acid-free paper) 1. Nuclear fusion. I. Stott, P. E. (Peter E.) II. Title. III. Series. QC791.M33 2004 539.7 64–dc22 2004011926 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 0-12-481851-X For all information on Elsevier Academic Press Publications visit our Web site at www.books.elsevier.com Printed in the United States of America 040506070809987654321 To Pamela and Olga, Thank you for your encouragement and your patience. Contents Foreword xv Preface xvii Acknowledgments xix 1 What Is Nuclear Fusion? 1 1.1 The Alchemists’ Dream ............................................... 1 1.2 The Sun’s Energy .................................................... 2 1.3 Can We Use Fusion Energy? .......................................... 3 1.4 Man-Made Suns ..................................................... 3 1.5 The Rest of the Story ................................................. 4 2 Energy from Mass 7 2.1 Einstein’s Theory .................................................... 7 2.2 Building Blocks...................................................... 8 2.3 Something Missing ................................................... 12 3 Fusion in the Sun and Stars 17 3.1 The Source of the Sun’s Energy........................................ 17 3.2 The Solar Furnace .................................................... 19 3.3 Gravitational Confinement ............................................ 20 3.4 The Formation of Heavier Atoms ...................................... 24 3.5 Stars and Supernovae ................................................. 26 4 Man-Made Fusion 33 4.1 Down to Earth ....................................................... 33 4.2 Getting It Together ................................................... 36 4.3 Breaking Even ....................................................... 41 ix x Contents 5 Magnetic Confinement 47 5.1 The First Experiments ................................................ 47 5.2 Behind Closed Doors ................................................. 52 5.3 Opening the Doors ................................................... 55 5.4 ZETA............................................................... 58 5.5 From Geneva to Novosibirsk .......................................... 59 6 The Hydrogen Bomb 61 6.1 The Background ..................................................... 61 6.2 The Problems ........................................................ 63 6.3 Beyond the “Sloyka” ................................................. 66 7 Inertial-Confinement Fusion 69 7.1 Mini-Explosions ..................................................... 69 7.2 Using Lasers......................................................... 72 7.3 Alternative Drivers ................................................... 81 7.4 The Future Program .................................................. 86 8 False Trails 87 8.1 Fusion in a Test Tube? ............................................... 87 8.2 Bubble Fusion ....................................................... 91 8.3 Fusion with Mesons .................................................. 92 9 Tokamaks 95 9.1 The Basics .......................................................... 95 9.2 Instabilities .......................................................... 96 9.3 Diagnosing the Plasma ............................................... 100 9.4 Impurities ........................................................... 102 9.5 Heating the Plasma ................................................... 106 10 From T3 to ITER 111 10.1 The Big Tokamaks ................................................... 111 10.2 Pushing to Peak Performance.......................................... 115 10.3 Tritium Operation .................................................... 118 10.4 Scaling to a Power Plant .............................................. 119 10.5 The Next Step ....................................................... 123 10.6 ITER ............................................................... 125 11 Fusion Power Plants 129 11.1 Early Plans .......................................................... 129 11.2 Fusion Power Plant Geometry ......................................... 129 11.3 Magnetic-Confinement Fusion......................................... 131 11.4 Inertial-Confinement Fusion........................................... 133 11.5 Tritium Breeding ..................................................... 137 Contents xi 11.6 Radiation Damage and Shielding ...................................... 138 11.7 Low-Activation Materials ............................................. 141 12 Why We Need Fusion Energy 145 12.1 World Energy Needs.................................................. 145 12.2 The Choice of Fuels .................................................. 146 12.3 The Environmental Impact of Fusion Energy ............................ 150 12.4 The Cost of Fusion Energy ............................................ 152 Epilogue 155 Units 157 Glossary 161 Further Reading 177 Index 181 Technical Summaries These technical summaries, contained in shaded boxes, are supplements to the main text. They are intended for the more technically minded reader and may be bypassed by the general reader without loss of continuity. Chapter 2 2.1 The Mass Spectrograph ............................................... 11 Chapter 3 3.1 The Neutrino Problem ................................................ 21 3.2 The Carbon Cycle .................................................... 22 3.3 Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation ............................. 25 3.4 The Triple Alpha Process ............................................
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