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The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet
From a young, award-winning scientist, a look at one of the most compelling and historic turning points of our time—the race to harness the power of the stars and produce controlled fusion, creating a practically unlimited supply of clean energy.
The most important energy-making process in the universe takes place inside stars. The ability to duplicate that process in a lab, once thought out of reach, may now be closer than we think. Today, all across the world teams of scientists are being assembled by the world’s boldest entrepreneurs, big business, and governments to solve what is the most difficult technological challenge humanity has ever building the equivalent of a star on earth. If their plans to capture star power are successful, they will unlock thousands, potentially millions, of years of clean, carbon-free energy.
Not only would controlled nuclear fusion go a long way toward solving the climate crisis, it could help make other highly desired technological ambitions possible—like journeying to the stars. Given the rising alarm over deterioration of the environment, and the strides being made in laser and magnetic field technology, powerful momentum is gathering behind fusion and the possibilities it offers.
Arthur Turrell is an award-winning young plasma physicist with a unique talent for making complex science accessible. In The Star Builders, he describes fascinating star machines with ten times as many parts as the NASA Space Shuttle, and structures that extend over 400 acres. And he spotlights the individuals, firms, and institutions racing for the finish science-minded entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel, companies like Goldman Sachs and Google, universities like Oxford and MIT, and virtually every rich nation.
It’s an exciting and game-changing international quest that, when completed, will make all of us winners.
The most important energy-making process in the universe takes place inside stars. The ability to duplicate that process in a lab, once thought out of reach, may now be closer than we think. Today, all across the world teams of scientists are being assembled by the world’s boldest entrepreneurs, big business, and governments to solve what is the most difficult technological challenge humanity has ever building the equivalent of a star on earth. If their plans to capture star power are successful, they will unlock thousands, potentially millions, of years of clean, carbon-free energy.
Not only would controlled nuclear fusion go a long way toward solving the climate crisis, it could help make other highly desired technological ambitions possible—like journeying to the stars. Given the rising alarm over deterioration of the environment, and the strides being made in laser and magnetic field technology, powerful momentum is gathering behind fusion and the possibilities it offers.
Arthur Turrell is an award-winning young plasma physicist with a unique talent for making complex science accessible. In The Star Builders, he describes fascinating star machines with ten times as many parts as the NASA Space Shuttle, and structures that extend over 400 acres. And he spotlights the individuals, firms, and institutions racing for the finish science-minded entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel, companies like Goldman Sachs and Google, universities like Oxford and MIT, and virtually every rich nation.
It’s an exciting and game-changing international quest that, when completed, will make all of us winners.
295 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
95 people are currently reading
815 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
March 30, 2021
I want to introduce this with a caveat: this is and would be a really interesting book for anyone wholly unfamiliar with the idea of nuclear fusion, or perhaps for someone with a little bit more patience than me.
That noted:
Stop. Saying. Star. Builders. Stop. Stop saying it. Just stop. Stop it.
I get it. It's the title of the book. Maybe, Arthur Turrell, you're trying to make it some kind of brand, or make the idea of people who work in fusion facilities and plasma science more accessible or awe-inspiring or something.
But it is entirely unnecessary to call every single person in the book a "star builder," multiple times per page, where literally any other word would do. How about, "scientists?" "Physicists?" Or even just, "people?"
Without posting multiple excerpts of the text here, I feel as though I can't get this point across without sounding like a pedant or a spoilsport, but there's a bigger point to make here. Turrell presents very interesting, and at times, very high-level nuclear physics information with an incredibly juvenile tone. I don't mean he presents it in an accessible way, or a way that children would understand. I mean to say the tone of this book is like those children's events in the middle school auditorium where arguably solid messages, like "smoking is bad" or "don't do drugs" are presented at a level that feels intended for a much younger audience, thus rendering all information imparted moot and all the kids go out afterward and steal Marlboros from their moms' purses. The constant repetition of the name of the book as some kind of job title or profession is the cherry on the cake of this incredibly tone-challenged presentation; in a book clearly aimed at adults, I don't need to hear a grown-ass man who worked in the field of nuclear energy call other grown-ass people "star builders" like it's some kind of royal decree. Use their names. Use their titles. Use their jobs. They worked hard to get where they are, and calling them "star builders" over and over again feels belittling when I know for sure it's meant to make them sound majestic and cool and smart - and they are majestic and cool and smart! That's the thing that really kills me!
Again: there is a lot of good, interesting information in this book. I fully believe that nuclear fusion energy will be viable in this century, and I can't wait to hear all about it. I'd love an even deeper dive still. But the presentation and the tone here makes The Star Builders a cringe-worthy slog.
That noted:
Stop. Saying. Star. Builders. Stop. Stop saying it. Just stop. Stop it.
I get it. It's the title of the book. Maybe, Arthur Turrell, you're trying to make it some kind of brand, or make the idea of people who work in fusion facilities and plasma science more accessible or awe-inspiring or something.
But it is entirely unnecessary to call every single person in the book a "star builder," multiple times per page, where literally any other word would do. How about, "scientists?" "Physicists?" Or even just, "people?"
Without posting multiple excerpts of the text here, I feel as though I can't get this point across without sounding like a pedant or a spoilsport, but there's a bigger point to make here. Turrell presents very interesting, and at times, very high-level nuclear physics information with an incredibly juvenile tone. I don't mean he presents it in an accessible way, or a way that children would understand. I mean to say the tone of this book is like those children's events in the middle school auditorium where arguably solid messages, like "smoking is bad" or "don't do drugs" are presented at a level that feels intended for a much younger audience, thus rendering all information imparted moot and all the kids go out afterward and steal Marlboros from their moms' purses. The constant repetition of the name of the book as some kind of job title or profession is the cherry on the cake of this incredibly tone-challenged presentation; in a book clearly aimed at adults, I don't need to hear a grown-ass man who worked in the field of nuclear energy call other grown-ass people "star builders" like it's some kind of royal decree. Use their names. Use their titles. Use their jobs. They worked hard to get where they are, and calling them "star builders" over and over again feels belittling when I know for sure it's meant to make them sound majestic and cool and smart - and they are majestic and cool and smart! That's the thing that really kills me!
Again: there is a lot of good, interesting information in this book. I fully believe that nuclear fusion energy will be viable in this century, and I can't wait to hear all about it. I'd love an even deeper dive still. But the presentation and the tone here makes The Star Builders a cringe-worthy slog.
June 9, 2021
At first blush, the idea of creating a star on Earth is absurd. Our sun, a thousand times as big as Earth, is just average size as stars go. It needs its minimal kind of mass to pack the core densely enough to reach ignition. It can burn out of control and fling gigantic flares of plasma into space without fear of hitting anything. Plus the heat and radiation might cause worry in some quarters. And yet, at least 25 private companies around the world, as well as several major nations, are working on doing just that- creating a star on Earth. It’s called fusion, and Arthur Turrell describes it with the comfort and ease of a features reporter in The Star Builders.
Fusion does not happen independently or naturally on Earth. Fission does. Our nuclear reactors are all fission. So are nuclear weapons. There is a natural nuclear reactor at the core in the center of the Earth, and even some naturally occurring reactors on the surface. They feed on volatile elements like uranium, can burn and explode, and leave impossibly dangerous waste even if none of those disasters take place.
Fusion reactors do not produce that kind of waste. They do not explode, and their radiation can easily be controlled. Mostly, once fusion gets going, it can keep producing for billions of years, like the sun does. This is attention-grabbing for two enormously big reasons: it is carbon-free energy and it delivers far more punch for the little fuel it consumes. Many times more. This has suddenly become very attractive. There were 88 fusion reactors in operation on Earth in 2020.
Operation is a technical word in this context, not meaning providing electricity to anyone. At the moment, the goal is to have one operate more than 10 nanoseconds (followed by interminable examination and repair before the next “shot”). The longest operational time on record is over six minutes, but this still far from a fusion plant feeding on its own fuel like the sun and all the other stars do.
The basic idea is to create plasma, which will keep things hot enough to continuously provide more fuel from heat and density-altered atoms. Plasma is pure energy, like lightning, or the flares snapping away from the sun’s gravity into space. Creating it on Earth is what the fusion industry is all about. Turrell says: “What fusion can buy the world is carbon-free energy on the scale that we need, and at the rate of deployment that we need, for the period of time that we need, in order to save the planet.”
There are two main ways to operate a fusion reactor: magnetic and inertial confinement. In magnetic confinement, the fuel is confined in a bottle made of a magnetic field, suspended in the air within the concrete chamber. This bottle magnetic field is confined within a much larger magnetic field. One confines the fuel and the other confines the resulting neutron spray to prevent damage to the (several feet thick) concrete housing. Giant magnets surround the reactor, and must be cooled and held at 10 degrees Kelvin – almost absolute zero. Yet inside, the nuclear fusion process runs to 100 million degrees Celsius. This, obviously, never occurs in nature. It is the design of the Tokamak reactor, invented by the Russians 60 years ago. It can run continuously.
For inertial confinement, continuous operation is a dream. A tiny, intricately designed and built target is pelted by lasers into collapsing on itself to generate the fusion reaction, plasma, and incredible heat. The whole process lasts ten billionths of a second, if everything works. That is the time that inertia keeps the plasma viable and everything in its place.
There are also other experimental ways that are being tested around the world, but these are two main ones. And the most successful to date.
It was not that long ago that John Lawson figured out the three major factors of fusion and how much weight they carried in making a Tokamak reactor work. His key discovery was that there is no constant. A combination of density, temperature and plasma is all that is needed: “A Tokamak that could reach temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million Fahrenheit), densities of more than 10,000 billion particles in each cubic centimeter, and energy in the plasma that is confined for more than 100 seconds … would hit his requirements and ignite its fusion plasma,” Turrell says. That’s “all” it would take to create a star on Earth, according to Lawson. Finding the right amount for each factor has been a life’s work for thousands of scientists around the world.
The path of least resistance in terms of fuel is deuterium (heavy water) and tritium. Other elements will work too, but these two are common, easy to work with, and cheap. These two elements would provide an easy multiple of the energy put into ignition, once we understand how to do that continuously. On ignition, as plasma, they suddenly provide vast amounts of energy, and everyone’s goal is to see that happening for real, in a reactor. It has come close, and just a little more of this and a little less of that should prove it’s possible. For example, a hundred million degrees is already hotter than the sun.
It all works like the whole universe works, counting electrons and neutrons. Add or remove a neutron and a different element exists. Tritium is made when ordinary lithium takes on another neutron. This can be done (at least in theory), by wrapping a blanket of lithium around the reactor chamber, so the exploding rays bombard it (instead of the walls). This would be how the fusion reactor would feed itself.
Turrell says this swapping of star stuff is the essence of all matter, and life itself. “The death of stars is what has enabled us to exist. Mostly, humans are cleverly arranged bundles of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and sulphur. Apart from hydrogen, these elements are mostly forged in the last, dramatic moments of a star’s life. We’re all made of dead stars, and hydrogen. Without fusion reactions, complex life, which is based on a variety of atoms, wouldn’t exist. Our relationship with stars and nuclear fusion goes deeper than even ancient Sun worshipping cultures could have suspected.”
Another of the great things about fusion is fail-safeness. Nuclear fission reactors have to be constantly monitored and calibrated. They can overheat, melt down and explode, spreading radiation around the world. Fusion reactors would simply die. In an error situation, the whole thing would shut down. They are “naturally self-limiting.” The radiation produced by neutrons can be stopped “with a sheet of paper” Turrell found. The biggest problem seems to be not destroying the concrete chamber casing by the constant battering. Turrell was told at one reactor site they were far more worried about scientists falling from great heights than by radiation from fusion. It turns out to be much less than the radiation everyone normally receives just living on Earth.
Turrell visited a number of fusion reactors around the world, interviewed the scientists, and saw how they differed in their approaches and their track records. The truth is we are still far from a commercial version. None of the current reactors could handle it; they are all for experimental purposes only. Right now, everything is about proof of concept, not production. In the race to find a solution to simply burning all the carbon the Earth has ever produced, fusion will not be available in time.
He was told there are five challenges to overcome on the way to clean, endless energy:
-Make plasma ten times hotter than the core of the sun in sufficient quantity and continuously
-Take that incredible heat and somehow make steam out of it to drive turbines
-Limit the damage from neutrons bombarding the reactor by choosing the right materials to withstand the pounding
-Breeding sufficient tritium out of lithium
and last but not least:
-Figuring out if the all this results in something that is commercially viable
Because so far, billions have been spent, decades consumed, and we remain years away from a working reactor, let alone populating the planet with them. We can’t even cost it out yet. Nonetheless, the star builders live exciting and rewarding lives, and The Star Builders reflects it well.
David Wineberg
Fusion does not happen independently or naturally on Earth. Fission does. Our nuclear reactors are all fission. So are nuclear weapons. There is a natural nuclear reactor at the core in the center of the Earth, and even some naturally occurring reactors on the surface. They feed on volatile elements like uranium, can burn and explode, and leave impossibly dangerous waste even if none of those disasters take place.
Fusion reactors do not produce that kind of waste. They do not explode, and their radiation can easily be controlled. Mostly, once fusion gets going, it can keep producing for billions of years, like the sun does. This is attention-grabbing for two enormously big reasons: it is carbon-free energy and it delivers far more punch for the little fuel it consumes. Many times more. This has suddenly become very attractive. There were 88 fusion reactors in operation on Earth in 2020.
Operation is a technical word in this context, not meaning providing electricity to anyone. At the moment, the goal is to have one operate more than 10 nanoseconds (followed by interminable examination and repair before the next “shot”). The longest operational time on record is over six minutes, but this still far from a fusion plant feeding on its own fuel like the sun and all the other stars do.
The basic idea is to create plasma, which will keep things hot enough to continuously provide more fuel from heat and density-altered atoms. Plasma is pure energy, like lightning, or the flares snapping away from the sun’s gravity into space. Creating it on Earth is what the fusion industry is all about. Turrell says: “What fusion can buy the world is carbon-free energy on the scale that we need, and at the rate of deployment that we need, for the period of time that we need, in order to save the planet.”
There are two main ways to operate a fusion reactor: magnetic and inertial confinement. In magnetic confinement, the fuel is confined in a bottle made of a magnetic field, suspended in the air within the concrete chamber. This bottle magnetic field is confined within a much larger magnetic field. One confines the fuel and the other confines the resulting neutron spray to prevent damage to the (several feet thick) concrete housing. Giant magnets surround the reactor, and must be cooled and held at 10 degrees Kelvin – almost absolute zero. Yet inside, the nuclear fusion process runs to 100 million degrees Celsius. This, obviously, never occurs in nature. It is the design of the Tokamak reactor, invented by the Russians 60 years ago. It can run continuously.
For inertial confinement, continuous operation is a dream. A tiny, intricately designed and built target is pelted by lasers into collapsing on itself to generate the fusion reaction, plasma, and incredible heat. The whole process lasts ten billionths of a second, if everything works. That is the time that inertia keeps the plasma viable and everything in its place.
There are also other experimental ways that are being tested around the world, but these are two main ones. And the most successful to date.
It was not that long ago that John Lawson figured out the three major factors of fusion and how much weight they carried in making a Tokamak reactor work. His key discovery was that there is no constant. A combination of density, temperature and plasma is all that is needed: “A Tokamak that could reach temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million Fahrenheit), densities of more than 10,000 billion particles in each cubic centimeter, and energy in the plasma that is confined for more than 100 seconds … would hit his requirements and ignite its fusion plasma,” Turrell says. That’s “all” it would take to create a star on Earth, according to Lawson. Finding the right amount for each factor has been a life’s work for thousands of scientists around the world.
The path of least resistance in terms of fuel is deuterium (heavy water) and tritium. Other elements will work too, but these two are common, easy to work with, and cheap. These two elements would provide an easy multiple of the energy put into ignition, once we understand how to do that continuously. On ignition, as plasma, they suddenly provide vast amounts of energy, and everyone’s goal is to see that happening for real, in a reactor. It has come close, and just a little more of this and a little less of that should prove it’s possible. For example, a hundred million degrees is already hotter than the sun.
It all works like the whole universe works, counting electrons and neutrons. Add or remove a neutron and a different element exists. Tritium is made when ordinary lithium takes on another neutron. This can be done (at least in theory), by wrapping a blanket of lithium around the reactor chamber, so the exploding rays bombard it (instead of the walls). This would be how the fusion reactor would feed itself.
Turrell says this swapping of star stuff is the essence of all matter, and life itself. “The death of stars is what has enabled us to exist. Mostly, humans are cleverly arranged bundles of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and sulphur. Apart from hydrogen, these elements are mostly forged in the last, dramatic moments of a star’s life. We’re all made of dead stars, and hydrogen. Without fusion reactions, complex life, which is based on a variety of atoms, wouldn’t exist. Our relationship with stars and nuclear fusion goes deeper than even ancient Sun worshipping cultures could have suspected.”
Another of the great things about fusion is fail-safeness. Nuclear fission reactors have to be constantly monitored and calibrated. They can overheat, melt down and explode, spreading radiation around the world. Fusion reactors would simply die. In an error situation, the whole thing would shut down. They are “naturally self-limiting.” The radiation produced by neutrons can be stopped “with a sheet of paper” Turrell found. The biggest problem seems to be not destroying the concrete chamber casing by the constant battering. Turrell was told at one reactor site they were far more worried about scientists falling from great heights than by radiation from fusion. It turns out to be much less than the radiation everyone normally receives just living on Earth.
Turrell visited a number of fusion reactors around the world, interviewed the scientists, and saw how they differed in their approaches and their track records. The truth is we are still far from a commercial version. None of the current reactors could handle it; they are all for experimental purposes only. Right now, everything is about proof of concept, not production. In the race to find a solution to simply burning all the carbon the Earth has ever produced, fusion will not be available in time.
He was told there are five challenges to overcome on the way to clean, endless energy:
-Make plasma ten times hotter than the core of the sun in sufficient quantity and continuously
-Take that incredible heat and somehow make steam out of it to drive turbines
-Limit the damage from neutrons bombarding the reactor by choosing the right materials to withstand the pounding
-Breeding sufficient tritium out of lithium
and last but not least:
-Figuring out if the all this results in something that is commercially viable
Because so far, billions have been spent, decades consumed, and we remain years away from a working reactor, let alone populating the planet with them. We can’t even cost it out yet. Nonetheless, the star builders live exciting and rewarding lives, and The Star Builders reflects it well.
David Wineberg
Read
December 24, 2022a great book, a whirlwind tour of NIF, Lawrence Livermore Labs, Sandia Labs, Tokamak Technologies, First Light Fusion and other startups involved in the attempt to ignite nuclear fusion as an energy source for humanity and stave off climate change's worst effects. This books gets very detail-oriented in the discussion of plasma science involved.
December 5, 2023
Fusion power for our everyday energy needs - where are we? For those not familiar with the different flavours of nuclear power this is the safe one! No meltdowns, no danger of proliferation for bomb making, virtually no radioactive waste. It’s the way the sun and all the stars in the universe produce their energy. Most of the fuel we’d need comes directly or indirectly from the hydrogen in water.
The only problem is bringing it to fruition. I did a Physics degree decades ago and staff members at my college working on fusion at that time would say that practical fusion power stations were thirty years off. Unfortunately many working in the field today still give that same timescale. It’s proving difficult.
I got the book, after checking across several titles available, really just wanting to get a summary of the engineering problems affecting fusion power. Is it still thirty years away? This book gives more - it indicates why fossil fuels, with their limited availability, as well as renewable sources are unlikely to satisfy our needs with ten billion people pushing for first world energy availability. The amount of energy you consume has so far correlated well with your standard of living. Even if we control profligate energy use eliminating fossils fuels is unlikely to be effectively compensated for by renewables or even traditional fission nuclear energy.
The book often uses the journalistic approach, with the author discussing background subjects and current issues with practitioners at the front line of the work. It looks not just at the large government funded projects in Europe and the USA but at the surprisingly large number of smaller startups trying to crack the problem (and doing ok with fund raising). This book covers a lot of ground and in the end I was pleased to have read about more than just the engineering issues of the problem. One irritant - maybe the author just keeps referring to fusion researchers as ‘star builders’ twenty or thirty times too often!
Sadly, I found the experience I got from this read a little disheartening! Regarding the critical engineering problems the very hot hydrogen plasma at 100 million degrees plus just will not remain under control for long before instabilities of so many types appear and the energy producing reaction just fizzles out. Over my working life that seems to have been what the research has been trying to solve. No matter which version to produce fusion (the laser implosions favoured in the USA, or the magnetic bottles in Europe) that annoyingly tricky plasma is so hard to control. The startups also haven’t offered anything new at present. More secretive for commercial reasons than the large state funded projects, but some have also promised major achievements in recent times that haven’t appeared.
The author is a bit more optimistic because of theoretical work suggesting the plasma is easier to control for longer the bigger the machine containing it, which is where research is going at present. Time will tell but increasingly it looks like it won’t help rescue us from fossil fuel induced climate change over the next couple of decades. The attitude now seems to be ‘better late than never’.
A good book and I’m better educated on the subject now but not so optimistic about any short to medium term payback from the work going on to bring the power source of the stars into our homes.
The only problem is bringing it to fruition. I did a Physics degree decades ago and staff members at my college working on fusion at that time would say that practical fusion power stations were thirty years off. Unfortunately many working in the field today still give that same timescale. It’s proving difficult.
I got the book, after checking across several titles available, really just wanting to get a summary of the engineering problems affecting fusion power. Is it still thirty years away? This book gives more - it indicates why fossil fuels, with their limited availability, as well as renewable sources are unlikely to satisfy our needs with ten billion people pushing for first world energy availability. The amount of energy you consume has so far correlated well with your standard of living. Even if we control profligate energy use eliminating fossils fuels is unlikely to be effectively compensated for by renewables or even traditional fission nuclear energy.
The book often uses the journalistic approach, with the author discussing background subjects and current issues with practitioners at the front line of the work. It looks not just at the large government funded projects in Europe and the USA but at the surprisingly large number of smaller startups trying to crack the problem (and doing ok with fund raising). This book covers a lot of ground and in the end I was pleased to have read about more than just the engineering issues of the problem. One irritant - maybe the author just keeps referring to fusion researchers as ‘star builders’ twenty or thirty times too often!
Sadly, I found the experience I got from this read a little disheartening! Regarding the critical engineering problems the very hot hydrogen plasma at 100 million degrees plus just will not remain under control for long before instabilities of so many types appear and the energy producing reaction just fizzles out. Over my working life that seems to have been what the research has been trying to solve. No matter which version to produce fusion (the laser implosions favoured in the USA, or the magnetic bottles in Europe) that annoyingly tricky plasma is so hard to control. The startups also haven’t offered anything new at present. More secretive for commercial reasons than the large state funded projects, but some have also promised major achievements in recent times that haven’t appeared.
The author is a bit more optimistic because of theoretical work suggesting the plasma is easier to control for longer the bigger the machine containing it, which is where research is going at present. Time will tell but increasingly it looks like it won’t help rescue us from fossil fuel induced climate change over the next couple of decades. The attitude now seems to be ‘better late than never’.
A good book and I’m better educated on the subject now but not so optimistic about any short to medium term payback from the work going on to bring the power source of the stars into our homes.
February 14, 2025
I have never been able to understand the actual source of energy in a fusion reaction. I also have an idiot of a friend who is way too fascinated by this topic, yet he has never managed to make me understand it! (Kasper)
I read maybe 10 pages, and there it was—explained so simply that even a duck could understand it. All within a single paragraph! WTF?!!! 🤬
This is a commendable book, and I believe people should read it, especially since, apparently, many still don’t believe in global warming.
Einstein once said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’
I read maybe 10 pages, and there it was—explained so simply that even a duck could understand it. All within a single paragraph! WTF?!!! 🤬
This is a commendable book, and I believe people should read it, especially since, apparently, many still don’t believe in global warming.
Einstein once said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’
December 14, 2023
Una visión general y con poca profundidad técnica. Además, quizá demasiado centrado en el NIF estadounidense y parece más un compendio de sus impresiones de las entrevistas con diversos actores en el mundo de la fusión que un análisis profundo. Pero tampoco aburre, tiene cosas interesantes.
ENGLISH:
A general overview with limited technical depth. Moreover, maybe too focused on the US NIF and seems more like a compendium of his impressions from interviews with various players in the fusion scene than an in-depth analysis. Nevertheless, it is not boring. It has some interesting stuff.
ENGLISH:
A general overview with limited technical depth. Moreover, maybe too focused on the US NIF and seems more like a compendium of his impressions from interviews with various players in the fusion scene than an in-depth analysis. Nevertheless, it is not boring. It has some interesting stuff.
August 7, 2021
The Star Builders : Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet (2021) by Arthur Turrell gives a view of current work on nuclear fusion. Turrell has a PhD in plasma physics.
In the book Turrell visits NIF, Wendelstein 7X, Tokomak Energy, The Culham Centre for Fusion and First Light Fusion. The book provides a really good view of how these places are going and where they see fusion going in the next 10-20 years. There is also discussion of ITER. Turrell adopts the somewhat annoying name of ‘star builders’ for everyone working on fusion.
As an introduction to fusion The Star Builders isn’t as good as The Future of Fusion Energy but it is better on giving a view of the various projects that Turrell looks at. One thing that is worth noting is that Turrell writes really well. Hopefully he’ll write more.
The Star Builders is a worthy addition to the range of popular science books on fusion. Hopefully in a few years it will be an interesting document on the status of nuclear fusion in the decade before breakeven is achieved.
In the book Turrell visits NIF, Wendelstein 7X, Tokomak Energy, The Culham Centre for Fusion and First Light Fusion. The book provides a really good view of how these places are going and where they see fusion going in the next 10-20 years. There is also discussion of ITER. Turrell adopts the somewhat annoying name of ‘star builders’ for everyone working on fusion.
As an introduction to fusion The Star Builders isn’t as good as The Future of Fusion Energy but it is better on giving a view of the various projects that Turrell looks at. One thing that is worth noting is that Turrell writes really well. Hopefully he’ll write more.
The Star Builders is a worthy addition to the range of popular science books on fusion. Hopefully in a few years it will be an interesting document on the status of nuclear fusion in the decade before breakeven is achieved.
December 24, 2022
Didn’t seem to focus on the interesting bits of physics/engineering. Granted, the title suggests this is about the people who do cool things, so maybe I should have expected it. But this work paints everything in a good light and focuses more on the story of the people than what the people are doing. Decent book, but not what I was looking for.
July 27, 2021
If you think that nuclear fusion is an obscure scientific topic, think twice. You already hear about it more and more in the media, and - at least according to the author of this book and its main characters - it may well be the most important source of energy in the future, hopefully in the very near future.
I hated physics at school and still rarely read about it but I am glad that I have made an exception. First of all, nuclear physics is unquestionably fascinating. Second, the author is extremely gifted - he can explain the most complicated scientific problems in a comprehensive and interesting way. Combining such first grade popular science with engaging on-the-ground reporting, he wrote a book that will please any curious mind. You will not only learn - and understand! - how nuclear fusion works, but also how stars are born, how we can avoid the energy crisis, what are the dangers of nuclear power and where is the hottest place in the solar system (spoiler: a village in Oxfordshire).
Recommended not only to readers interested in science but also climate crisis and current affairs - it is good to be in the know.
Thanks to the publisher, Scribner, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book
I hated physics at school and still rarely read about it but I am glad that I have made an exception. First of all, nuclear physics is unquestionably fascinating. Second, the author is extremely gifted - he can explain the most complicated scientific problems in a comprehensive and interesting way. Combining such first grade popular science with engaging on-the-ground reporting, he wrote a book that will please any curious mind. You will not only learn - and understand! - how nuclear fusion works, but also how stars are born, how we can avoid the energy crisis, what are the dangers of nuclear power and where is the hottest place in the solar system (spoiler: a village in Oxfordshire).
Recommended not only to readers interested in science but also climate crisis and current affairs - it is good to be in the know.
Thanks to the publisher, Scribner, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book
June 12, 2023
Delightful to read! Packed with rich non-patronizing information, yet feeling as a bedtime story for grownups to be optimistic about our energetic future (and at times slightly scared). Takes the importance of the topic as serious as it's needed.
February 15, 2023
This book was so interesting! I learned so so much and although a lot of it went over my head it was still so so interesting and I’m excited to see how it all develops!
October 1, 2025
A great overview of the current status and the history of unlocking fusion power.
April 13, 2021
Star Builders
[Blurb goes here]
I some times have a hankering for tech books, not being an engineer myself, this often ends in disappointment. My lack of understanding making such books hard to follow. When I saw the description for this title I couldn't help but wanting to read it, half expecting the same results obtained in my earlier attempts. I'm happy to say that Star Builders was not the case. I could understand most of it and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is one of those technologies that where theorized some seventy years ago.
To give you a glimpse into fusion, you first have to understand that the technology we come to rely for electricity, is fission. Yes, the same thing that makes atomic bombs go 'boom'. In layman's terms, you take an atom, you dived it creating a ton of energy, and there you go, fission. With fission comes nuclear waste. Fusion is the fusion of two atoms to produce vast amounts of energy, without the radioactive waste. So yeah. This is a clean technology that could change our world.
Now onto the book. Repeating the words "Star Builders" constantly, gets old, impressibly fast. Trying to explain things as if detachedly talking to a group of nine years old using advanced terminology is a moot point, us kids will ignore it. I did enjoyed the book, but what it lacks is emotion. Fusion in a world been ravaged by global warming, could really turn the tide around. So where's the emotion? Where is the motivation?
Thank you for the advanced copy!
[Blurb goes here]
I some times have a hankering for tech books, not being an engineer myself, this often ends in disappointment. My lack of understanding making such books hard to follow. When I saw the description for this title I couldn't help but wanting to read it, half expecting the same results obtained in my earlier attempts. I'm happy to say that Star Builders was not the case. I could understand most of it and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is one of those technologies that where theorized some seventy years ago.
To give you a glimpse into fusion, you first have to understand that the technology we come to rely for electricity, is fission. Yes, the same thing that makes atomic bombs go 'boom'. In layman's terms, you take an atom, you dived it creating a ton of energy, and there you go, fission. With fission comes nuclear waste. Fusion is the fusion of two atoms to produce vast amounts of energy, without the radioactive waste. So yeah. This is a clean technology that could change our world.
Now onto the book. Repeating the words "Star Builders" constantly, gets old, impressibly fast. Trying to explain things as if detachedly talking to a group of nine years old using advanced terminology is a moot point, us kids will ignore it. I did enjoyed the book, but what it lacks is emotion. Fusion in a world been ravaged by global warming, could really turn the tide around. So where's the emotion? Where is the motivation?
Thank you for the advanced copy!
May 26, 2022
This book should have been great. It was recommended to me highly and I really wanted to enjoy it. However it was just too slow and not very interesting. It oscillated between very obvious explaining things like climate change to then skimming through in very confusing ways how fusion works in these different types of reactors. I like a deep physics book but this was both not deep and not clear. The portraits of the scientists and their facilities was just mundane. It's the first book I gave up on half way through in the last 10 reads.
April 5, 2022
Unbelievably dumbed-down. It makes any given buzzfeed article read like a dissertation in nuclear physics. Also full of stupid unit conversions:
The beams enter the target chamber, a ten-meter-radius (approximately thirty feet) sphere of ten-centimeter-thick (approximately four inches) aluminum panels rounded off with thirty centimeters (approximately one foot) of concrete.
April 9, 2022
Mostly a rah-rah book about nuclear fusion. Did not take long for the term “star builders” to get very annoying. Using it constantly in almost every sentence makes it sound like the overly dramatic corporate marketing hype used to sell phone plans.
Was some science about fusion and the challenges although it almost seemed to be tokens thrown into the hype.
Wish the term “star builders” could be retired and the hype taken down a few notches.
Was some science about fusion and the challenges although it almost seemed to be tokens thrown into the hype.
Wish the term “star builders” could be retired and the hype taken down a few notches.
May 1, 2022
If you've never heard of the quest to harness nuclear fusion for peaceful purposes you might rate this book higher. But I've been intermittently reading about this quest for >50 years, and nothing in this book has taught me anything new. It's also exceedingly repetitious. And, finally, the author keeps stating that the infamous forever mantra "fusion power is always 30 years away" is about to change. I greatly doubt it. If I'm wrong, it won't be due to any revelations in this book.
September 18, 2021
Unbelievably fascinating subject material, well researched, just didn’t really like the way it was written, and the fact that star-builders was used probably 2000 times in this book made me want to scream
January 2, 2023
Prior to this book, I felt moderately well-informed on the topic, but I still got a lot out of this.
There are a very finite number of serious efforts to build a fusion machine, but the number is growing, and it's quite valuable to have someone go through the background and give a objective synopsis of each of them. That is a key bit of value this book provides.
Writing this in early 2023, I must note that the book is very very dated. There wasn't just 1 reference made to the NIF net-gain fusion goal, but the author returned to it again and again and again. NIF accomplished the goal earlier than expected, and that may be a positive sign that things really are heating up in the fusion race. This is such a transformative development that I really want some kind of supplemental followup to expand on all the statements the book made like "If NIF hits net-gain fusion first..." It happened! Now what?
This book also illuminated a lot of the challenges and mechanical state of things that I didn't really understand before. Like, how the various modes of instability surface in tokomaks. I had heard about this before, but in a hand-wavey "it makes fusion impossible" kind of argument. In reality, many many careers have been spent on those problems, and every decade has seen extremely substantive progress made. While it's not easy, it's walking a gradual line to becoming a solved problem.
I'm left thirsty for more details about the plasma instabilities that can redirect the laser energy in direct-drive inertial confinement systems. Previously, I always saw the NIF target design as either nonsense or weapons-specialized research, of no practical bearing to energy-oriented fusion. The book disabused me of a few of these prejudices towards inertial confinement. Indeed, it seems that virtually all approaches have a problem with plasma instabilities for the simple reason that fusion must happen in a plasma due to first-principles. Those plasma problems are problems for laser inertial confinement, and could destroy the machine if not managed well. I very much want to know more about this, and about the status of direct-drive machines that exist in the world. This is not a problem of the book, it's just a statement.
The book has some narrative flair, but is stream of real facts about the subject matter. If you are into the subject, it's a good book. Given 10 more years, it might suffer accelerated age, but right now the field is changing rapidly, creating a need for books like this.
There are a very finite number of serious efforts to build a fusion machine, but the number is growing, and it's quite valuable to have someone go through the background and give a objective synopsis of each of them. That is a key bit of value this book provides.
Writing this in early 2023, I must note that the book is very very dated. There wasn't just 1 reference made to the NIF net-gain fusion goal, but the author returned to it again and again and again. NIF accomplished the goal earlier than expected, and that may be a positive sign that things really are heating up in the fusion race. This is such a transformative development that I really want some kind of supplemental followup to expand on all the statements the book made like "If NIF hits net-gain fusion first..." It happened! Now what?
This book also illuminated a lot of the challenges and mechanical state of things that I didn't really understand before. Like, how the various modes of instability surface in tokomaks. I had heard about this before, but in a hand-wavey "it makes fusion impossible" kind of argument. In reality, many many careers have been spent on those problems, and every decade has seen extremely substantive progress made. While it's not easy, it's walking a gradual line to becoming a solved problem.
I'm left thirsty for more details about the plasma instabilities that can redirect the laser energy in direct-drive inertial confinement systems. Previously, I always saw the NIF target design as either nonsense or weapons-specialized research, of no practical bearing to energy-oriented fusion. The book disabused me of a few of these prejudices towards inertial confinement. Indeed, it seems that virtually all approaches have a problem with plasma instabilities for the simple reason that fusion must happen in a plasma due to first-principles. Those plasma problems are problems for laser inertial confinement, and could destroy the machine if not managed well. I very much want to know more about this, and about the status of direct-drive machines that exist in the world. This is not a problem of the book, it's just a statement.
The book has some narrative flair, but is stream of real facts about the subject matter. If you are into the subject, it's a good book. Given 10 more years, it might suffer accelerated age, but right now the field is changing rapidly, creating a need for books like this.
October 2, 2024
Overall an informative read that does a nice job at laying out the basic premise involved in fusion, as well as the stakeholders dipping their toes into reactor development.
As someone with a keen interest in and knowledge of all things nuclear, I am going to steer clear of criticism that my fellow nuclearheads have probably levied at this book — that it is very basic in its scientific descriptions — because I think that largely ignores that the target audience isn’t us nerds. It was not marketed as a theory-intensive deep dive, so I won't hold it to those standards.
Anyway, reading the book after net energy gain was achieved by one of the competitors in question does have me chuckling to myself at certain outdated passages, but that isn’t necessarily to the detriment of the author.
I found some parts of the book to be repetitive — certain information was needlessly repeated a few times, which did prompt the occasional scoff, as though I can’t remember something I read 50 pages ago. I was also not a huge fan of the way the start-up ‘tech bro’ crowd was largely taken at face value, but I’m always going to be skeptical of that sort of for-profit venture.
Lastly, as a fission enthusiast, I’m not 100% convinced in fusion's superiority. I do (cautiously) believe that it could be a cleaner, less dangerous source of energy, but as it stands right now — with the technology seemingly decades and billions of dollars away from practicality — I wish broader investment into fission, which I believe has been proven to be one of the best methods of energy production, was happening. We can’t wait and cross our fingers in hopes that the technology miraculously goes from net energy loss to powering entire countries; we’re seeing the devastating effects of climate change right now. Fusion is an interesting experimental concept to test the limits of human ingenuity, but we should also make sure other energy sources are being properly pursued.
As someone with a keen interest in and knowledge of all things nuclear, I am going to steer clear of criticism that my fellow nuclearheads have probably levied at this book — that it is very basic in its scientific descriptions — because I think that largely ignores that the target audience isn’t us nerds. It was not marketed as a theory-intensive deep dive, so I won't hold it to those standards.
Anyway, reading the book after net energy gain was achieved by one of the competitors in question does have me chuckling to myself at certain outdated passages, but that isn’t necessarily to the detriment of the author.
I found some parts of the book to be repetitive — certain information was needlessly repeated a few times, which did prompt the occasional scoff, as though I can’t remember something I read 50 pages ago. I was also not a huge fan of the way the start-up ‘tech bro’ crowd was largely taken at face value, but I’m always going to be skeptical of that sort of for-profit venture.
Lastly, as a fission enthusiast, I’m not 100% convinced in fusion's superiority. I do (cautiously) believe that it could be a cleaner, less dangerous source of energy, but as it stands right now — with the technology seemingly decades and billions of dollars away from practicality — I wish broader investment into fission, which I believe has been proven to be one of the best methods of energy production, was happening. We can’t wait and cross our fingers in hopes that the technology miraculously goes from net energy loss to powering entire countries; we’re seeing the devastating effects of climate change right now. Fusion is an interesting experimental concept to test the limits of human ingenuity, but we should also make sure other energy sources are being properly pursued.
December 10, 2021
The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet by Dr. Arthur Turrell is focused on the potential for nuclear fusion to be used as a viable energy source. It was published in 2021 by Scribner under The Gale Group, Inc. Dr. Arthur Turrell has a PhD in plasma physics from the Imperial College of London. The book contains citations to relevant studies throughout the entire course of the book. This book overall does a great job of giving a baseline understanding into the complicated science of nuclear fusion and establishes just how many countries and companies are researching this technology.
Early in the book, the author established just how complicated and expensive the machines necessary to do this are. The author provides the example of the gigantic laser at the NIF (National Ignition Facility) which is, with no exaggeration, just as, if not more, complicated than the most advanced space shuttles. Dr. Arthur Turrell also delves into the feasibility and why many people dismiss nuclear fusion, given how little energy is given off currently. This book doesn't go into as much detail on the science behind these machines as I would have hoped. He mostly focuses on the frontier of development, though he does an extremely good job of making the audience understand the science put behind it.
This book isn't written like a science class. It's written with a genuine fascination with nuclear physics and the desire to teach about it. It's clear while reading that almost every single sentence was written with a love for science. This book assumes a decent bit of background knowledge into science, such as knowledge of how gravity works, but there's nothing that limits the potential audience too much. I recommend this book to everyone who want to know more about the frontier of what's possible.
Early in the book, the author established just how complicated and expensive the machines necessary to do this are. The author provides the example of the gigantic laser at the NIF (National Ignition Facility) which is, with no exaggeration, just as, if not more, complicated than the most advanced space shuttles. Dr. Arthur Turrell also delves into the feasibility and why many people dismiss nuclear fusion, given how little energy is given off currently. This book doesn't go into as much detail on the science behind these machines as I would have hoped. He mostly focuses on the frontier of development, though he does an extremely good job of making the audience understand the science put behind it.
This book isn't written like a science class. It's written with a genuine fascination with nuclear physics and the desire to teach about it. It's clear while reading that almost every single sentence was written with a love for science. This book assumes a decent bit of background knowledge into science, such as knowledge of how gravity works, but there's nothing that limits the potential audience too much. I recommend this book to everyone who want to know more about the frontier of what's possible.
May 28, 2024
“The Star Builders, Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet”, written by Arthur Turrell
ISBN: 978-1-4747-1160-2
This issue is from Weidefeld & Nicolson, 2021
Cover design by Jason Ascomb
Cover image by Shutterstock
I’ve picked up this book because I wanted to know the latest development regarding Nuclear Fusion and I wasn’t disappointed at all!
Arthur Turrell is capable to explain clearly the workings of Nuclear Fusion as well as Nuclear Fission for readers not familiar with the subject and wanting to know more. The different methods for Nuclear Fusion are described in detail based on interviews with the responsible scientist, engineers and directors. Nuclear Fusion is a world-wide effort and various governments have different approaches in order to achieve their common goal: To produce clean affordable energy without compromising the environment.
Several commercial initiatives have been launched recently and these start-ups might give a boost to further development of Nuclear Fusion.
What I personally find very comforting is that the information in this book is based on scientific research and that Arthur Turrell added all references per chapter in his “Endnotes”.
For me a ****-star read and I’m looking forward to the next 30 years!
Below the contents of this book in order to give an idea which subjects are addressed and described in more detail.
Prologue A Crazy Idea
Chapter 1 The Star Builders
Chapter 2 Build a Star, Save the Planet
Chapter 3 Energy from Atoms
Chapter 4 How the Universe builds Stars
Chapter 5 How to build a Star with Magnetic Fields
Chapter 6 How to build a Star with Inertia
Chapter 7 The New Star Builders
Chapter 8 Isn’t it all a bit Dangerous?
Chapter 9 Finishing the Race for Fusion
Epilogue Can We Afford not to do Fusion?
Acknowledgements
Endnotes
Index
ISBN: 978-1-4747-1160-2
This issue is from Weidefeld & Nicolson, 2021
Cover design by Jason Ascomb
Cover image by Shutterstock
I’ve picked up this book because I wanted to know the latest development regarding Nuclear Fusion and I wasn’t disappointed at all!
Arthur Turrell is capable to explain clearly the workings of Nuclear Fusion as well as Nuclear Fission for readers not familiar with the subject and wanting to know more. The different methods for Nuclear Fusion are described in detail based on interviews with the responsible scientist, engineers and directors. Nuclear Fusion is a world-wide effort and various governments have different approaches in order to achieve their common goal: To produce clean affordable energy without compromising the environment.
Several commercial initiatives have been launched recently and these start-ups might give a boost to further development of Nuclear Fusion.
What I personally find very comforting is that the information in this book is based on scientific research and that Arthur Turrell added all references per chapter in his “Endnotes”.
For me a ****-star read and I’m looking forward to the next 30 years!
Below the contents of this book in order to give an idea which subjects are addressed and described in more detail.
Prologue A Crazy Idea
Chapter 1 The Star Builders
Chapter 2 Build a Star, Save the Planet
Chapter 3 Energy from Atoms
Chapter 4 How the Universe builds Stars
Chapter 5 How to build a Star with Magnetic Fields
Chapter 6 How to build a Star with Inertia
Chapter 7 The New Star Builders
Chapter 8 Isn’t it all a bit Dangerous?
Chapter 9 Finishing the Race for Fusion
Epilogue Can We Afford not to do Fusion?
Acknowledgements
Endnotes
Index
April 26, 2022
I'm gonna start with the only major negative I have before going into the good stuff: the annoying fact every metric unit in this book is then converted instantly to imperial units (there is a sentence in the beginning of the book that makes this glaringly obvious and annoying). I feel as the majority of people picking up science books are familiar with the metric system and don't need the imperial units next to them, and yes, I also believe the metric system is better.
Rant over.
This is a very clear and concise book on the future of nuclear fusion and what it means in the current day and age. Turrell does a great job breaking down the hunt for fusion, the two major types being considered, and what it means for humanity. I'm also biased as it seems he is a bigger fan of using magnetic confinement for fusion than inertial methods, which I agree with. He discusses how the private sector is also making moves with fusion, while thankfully giving a fair bit of skepticism to how successful they will be as some of these companies are very secretive about their results while still accepting investments. Turrell also discuses that while fusion is a great way to bring about a cleaner world, it sadly does not look as if it will arrive in time to save us from the majority of the looming climate disaster, saying we still need to move to solar, wind, and fission energy (which I also appreciate him discussing that nuclear fission is actually one of the safest and most carbon-clean forms of energy). All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I think Turrell does a great job of displaying the exciting news of fusion, while also being a good scientist and displaying a healthy amount of skepticism.
Rant over.
This is a very clear and concise book on the future of nuclear fusion and what it means in the current day and age. Turrell does a great job breaking down the hunt for fusion, the two major types being considered, and what it means for humanity. I'm also biased as it seems he is a bigger fan of using magnetic confinement for fusion than inertial methods, which I agree with. He discusses how the private sector is also making moves with fusion, while thankfully giving a fair bit of skepticism to how successful they will be as some of these companies are very secretive about their results while still accepting investments. Turrell also discuses that while fusion is a great way to bring about a cleaner world, it sadly does not look as if it will arrive in time to save us from the majority of the looming climate disaster, saying we still need to move to solar, wind, and fission energy (which I also appreciate him discussing that nuclear fission is actually one of the safest and most carbon-clean forms of energy). All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I think Turrell does a great job of displaying the exciting news of fusion, while also being a good scientist and displaying a healthy amount of skepticism.
April 29, 2023
This is an enjoyable introduction to nuclear fusion for people completely unfamiliar to it yet willing and ready to dust off their knowledge of physics (did it make me imagine a different life where I am a passionate physicist? Maybe). In fact, those bits were really lucid and nicely explained.
There are a few bits and bobs which make me not recommend it to some friends and gave me a bit of an ick: (1) very bro-y like description of start up founders and their weirdly inflated claims of delivery, and, (2) estimation of world's future energy needs (is it based on current needs or the estimations of the future population? These will grow substantially, which is why some people misleadingly use the claim that coal will have a smaller proportional in the energy industry - while it will be, the industry will be much bigger and therefore we will actually use it more than we do today... So I had trouble assessing the claims in the book against actual data). But if you personally can just mute those two - very doable - you'd enjoy this book.
Interestingly, (not a spoiler as this is widely available information) what came out of it was the fact that we're effectively unlikely to have this technology in time to stop the climate change and we're fucked. The author pivots on this in the last few pages, but as this in turn is backed by some start up founders' claims, I'm unconvinced and therefore am just going back to bed.
There are a few bits and bobs which make me not recommend it to some friends and gave me a bit of an ick: (1) very bro-y like description of start up founders and their weirdly inflated claims of delivery, and, (2) estimation of world's future energy needs (is it based on current needs or the estimations of the future population? These will grow substantially, which is why some people misleadingly use the claim that coal will have a smaller proportional in the energy industry - while it will be, the industry will be much bigger and therefore we will actually use it more than we do today... So I had trouble assessing the claims in the book against actual data). But if you personally can just mute those two - very doable - you'd enjoy this book.
Interestingly, (not a spoiler as this is widely available information) what came out of it was the fact that we're effectively unlikely to have this technology in time to stop the climate change and we're fucked. The author pivots on this in the last few pages, but as this in turn is backed by some start up founders' claims, I'm unconvinced and therefore am just going back to bed.
July 22, 2023
Despite recent advancements (including net gain) not mentioned in the book it is still surprisingly relevant and insightful and does a better job than any journalistic outlet in laying out the different approaches to fusion and the pros and cons in a sobering, science-backed review that makes you understand just why scientists are trying so many solutions right now. I particularly loved the personal touch, interviewing different researchers about what they thought about other organizations taking a different approach; how the public sector thought of the private sector and vice versa. After finishing this I find myself re-ignited in my firey passion for fusion energy and my conviction that it must truly be right around the corner. I kept mentally wandering at the end of each chapter, thinking about how in the future i'd tell my grandchildren of the race for this new renewable energy and all the wild and wacky theories floating around. The fact that fusion won't be a be-all-end-all even if/when it does succeed was the biggest reveal for me, this will be one more (albiet a large one if all goes well) tool in the toolkit of sustainable and clean renewables to power our energy future, and it couldn't have come soon enough. Definitely recommend giving this a read!
April 8, 2022
Excellent in many ways - good basic science, broad coverage - from the major government facilities to well-positioned (and funded) startups to more outlandish schemes - with both a comprehensive history and a balanced look forward. Turrell is absolutely clear that he believes controlled fusion is a part of our necessary energy future - making the case for the issues, challenges, shortcomings of all other sources - and highlights the various reasons why net energy gain from fusion can be achieved (stars, but also uncontrolled fusion and hints from still classified government experiments). But he avoids the pitfall of predicting that it is imminent, whether that is due to limited (even if substantial) funding, extremely challenging scientific and engineering obstacles, or simply that the promises of near-term success by some are poorly supported, while the most credible avenues have timelines that still span decades. He holds out the prospect of a breakthrough, but in sum, The Star Builders is sobering - net energy gain from controlled fusion is not yet here, and as time passes, other sources will increasingly fill the role imagined for it.
May 15, 2025
The Star Builders is a well-written and fairly up-to-date book for anyone interested in Nuclear Fusion and seeking an introduction to what it is, why it’s important, and the different fusion-related technologies that private companies and government entities are developing.
While the book doesn’t cover much of the newer fusion methods, such as stellarators (which have continued to see a renaissance since the publishing of this book), superconducting magnets, or the physics theories that govern the construction of fusion reactors as a conceptual overview, I think the book served it’s purpose.
The focus of this book seemed to be informing on overarching trends and policies in the fusion community, covering more established technologies like Tokamaks and Laser Fusion, and stressing the dire need for funding and supporting fusion initiatives.
Overall, this book is a good starting point for learning about Nuclear Fusion, but serves more to demystify fusion for the common reader, reflect on the progress of Fusion, and as a call to arms for the public in support of fusion programs.
While the book doesn’t cover much of the newer fusion methods, such as stellarators (which have continued to see a renaissance since the publishing of this book), superconducting magnets, or the physics theories that govern the construction of fusion reactors as a conceptual overview, I think the book served it’s purpose.
The focus of this book seemed to be informing on overarching trends and policies in the fusion community, covering more established technologies like Tokamaks and Laser Fusion, and stressing the dire need for funding and supporting fusion initiatives.
Overall, this book is a good starting point for learning about Nuclear Fusion, but serves more to demystify fusion for the common reader, reflect on the progress of Fusion, and as a call to arms for the public in support of fusion programs.
April 27, 2022
This book is excellent. I have an advanced degree in
Science but not physics and the author makes the field of fusion accessible to me. Furthermore it will be accessible to anyone. I also feel like it won’t be too basic for people who know a little bit about the science. Sometimes I come across science books that are a waste of time - not this one. The author’s excitement about the field comes through the page and he introduces the different types of fusion and various groups working on the problem. After reading this I am not as skeptical as I was- the author addresses the overpromising issue head on, but reading this book, it does seem like net energy gain in 15 years is realistic As opposed to the 30 we’ve been hearing about since before I was born. I recommend this book and will follow the author’s work.
Science but not physics and the author makes the field of fusion accessible to me. Furthermore it will be accessible to anyone. I also feel like it won’t be too basic for people who know a little bit about the science. Sometimes I come across science books that are a waste of time - not this one. The author’s excitement about the field comes through the page and he introduces the different types of fusion and various groups working on the problem. After reading this I am not as skeptical as I was- the author addresses the overpromising issue head on, but reading this book, it does seem like net energy gain in 15 years is realistic As opposed to the 30 we’ve been hearing about since before I was born. I recommend this book and will follow the author’s work.
January 15, 2022
Fascinating examination of the many public and private experiments into fusion energy.
From the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the US and the Joint European Torus (JET) in the UK and ITER the 35 nation project, to Tokamak Energy LTD and Lockheed Martin, Arthur Turrell speaks with and visits many experimental fusion generation facilities that are attempting to build a working “mini sun” to generate nuclear fusion power for the future.
Much of the technical information was a bit over my head (I took precalculus physics 40 years ago) but I really enjoyed reading about it and attempting to understand how they are trying to reach “ignition” the self-sustaining reaction that will, hopefully in the future, lead to fossil free energy.
From the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the US and the Joint European Torus (JET) in the UK and ITER the 35 nation project, to Tokamak Energy LTD and Lockheed Martin, Arthur Turrell speaks with and visits many experimental fusion generation facilities that are attempting to build a working “mini sun” to generate nuclear fusion power for the future.
Much of the technical information was a bit over my head (I took precalculus physics 40 years ago) but I really enjoyed reading about it and attempting to understand how they are trying to reach “ignition” the self-sustaining reaction that will, hopefully in the future, lead to fossil free energy.
April 26, 2024
For thousands of years people looked at the sun and by the time our chance to learn more about it came only two hundred years ago, about its size and how it works. And with the introduction about the sun and other stars and how nuclear fusion works, This book "The Star Builders" introduces you into the main problems, the analysis on the earth, how nuclear fusion works and the secrets of atomic energy that has different forms and sources that gives or planet and the people on it chance to live and use it. For some readers this book involves you with dialogues like a scientist who involves you about the following information above. Also the physics that this book contains will follow the reader for the whole entire time.
The major theme of this book "The Star Builders" is to analyze and tell the secrets of nuclear energy and its sources, forms and how people learned and used it. I like this book because of its analysis and the math that followed me with physics for the most part of the time while i read this book. The history wasn't the favorite part that was full of people's mistakes that they did during the time before modern time but it showed the people the real things and atomic secrets that are opened for us at this time, however the population of the earth increases and the level of technologies have to increase with it and the people who will read this my help our planet with atomic secrets.
I want to say that this book "The Star Builders" will be the best choice for the people who are involved in science or to study some information from this book because like i said, this book contains more math and physics than any other book that i read. Also this book has some theories and statements about the sun and other stars, for example - the fast neutrons produced by fusion, eighty thousand rad is equivalent to 800Sv. This is an extraordinary amount as just 5Sv will kill you. Or did you know that the temperature of the sun is equivalent to 27 million degrees per Fahrenheit. By the end of the review i want to say that i opened a new level of science for myself when i read this book.
The major theme of this book "The Star Builders" is to analyze and tell the secrets of nuclear energy and its sources, forms and how people learned and used it. I like this book because of its analysis and the math that followed me with physics for the most part of the time while i read this book. The history wasn't the favorite part that was full of people's mistakes that they did during the time before modern time but it showed the people the real things and atomic secrets that are opened for us at this time, however the population of the earth increases and the level of technologies have to increase with it and the people who will read this my help our planet with atomic secrets.
I want to say that this book "The Star Builders" will be the best choice for the people who are involved in science or to study some information from this book because like i said, this book contains more math and physics than any other book that i read. Also this book has some theories and statements about the sun and other stars, for example - the fast neutrons produced by fusion, eighty thousand rad is equivalent to 800Sv. This is an extraordinary amount as just 5Sv will kill you. Or did you know that the temperature of the sun is equivalent to 27 million degrees per Fahrenheit. By the end of the review i want to say that i opened a new level of science for myself when i read this book.
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