Fusion A Voyage Through the Plasma Universe

This book tells the fascinating story of fusion. As the process that fuels the stars and galaxies lighting up the night sky, fusion is the main source of energy in our Universe. We owe our very existence to the warmth of the Sun that it generates and, at the start of the new millennium, fusion may prove to be the only sustainable way to meet the long-term energy demands of modern society.

Journeying through fusion in the universe, Fusion: A Voyage Through the Plasma Universe discusses all aspects of fusion and how they relate to our universe. It also studies the attempts to produce fusion energy on Earth. The book addresses a wide range of topics from stars, galaxies, comets, pulsars, black holes, and quasars to the auroras, lightning, and fluorescent tubes. Interestingly, the author explores how artists and authors like Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, and Hannes Alfvén have been fascinated by cosmic phenomena that rely on fusion and plasmas. He discusses motions in plasma, such as flames, waves, and whirls similar to those that occur in water.The book also examines several other branches of science where parallels can be found with fusion plasmas, including ecological systems that provide only very short-term weather forecasts and the dramatic changes in the world economy with its explosive tendencies and sometimes catastrophic results. It briefly shows how these nonlinear phenomena are at the heart of modern fusion plasma theory.

PART 1: FUSION IN THE COSMOSPlasmasNuclear FusionThe CosmosThe Plasma UniverseElectrical DischargesPART 2: FUSION ON EARTHDynamic Fine Structure of PlasmasThe Art of Magnetic ConfinementMicroballoon Explosions by Lasers: Inertial ConfinementThe Fusion ReactorOutlook into the Future