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An Overview of the Physics of Nuclear Fusion: Its Present Status and Future Prospects

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Physics and Contemporary Needs
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Abstract

The realisation that cheap and abundant energy cannot be taken for granted together with increasing environmental pressures, has led to a considerable expansion of fusion research, particularly in the USA and Japan. The research has narrowed into a more limited number of approaches for the control of high temperature matter using magnetic fields. A new branch of research has developed for investigating the possibility of obtaining controlled energy-producing explosions generated by high-powered laser beams or charged-particle beams. In addition there is increasing attention being given to the technological and engineering problems of controlled nuclear fusion. Table 1 summarises the growth of the research investment in fusion.

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© 1983 Plenum Press, New York

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Robinson, D.C. (1983). An Overview of the Physics of Nuclear Fusion: Its Present Status and Future Prospects. In: Riazuddin, Qadir, A. (eds) Physics and Contemporary Needs. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4139-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4139-0_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4141-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4139-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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