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Further Reading — Chapter 21: Nuclear Fusion

Textbooks

  • C.E. Rolfs and W.S. Rodney, Cauldrons in the Cosmos: Nuclear Astrophysics (University of Chicago Press, 1988). The classic treatment of thermonuclear reaction rates, the Gamow peak, and the S-factor. Chapters 4–6 cover the material of Sections 21.1–21.5 in depth.

  • J.N. Bahcall, Neutrino Astrophysics (Cambridge University Press, 1989). The definitive account of the solar neutrino problem by one of its principal theorists. Comprehensive treatment of pp chain and CNO cycle rates.

  • C. Iliadis, Nuclear Physics of Stars, 2nd ed. (Wiley-VCH, 2015). The modern standard reference for nuclear astrophysics. Rigorous derivations of reaction rates, non-resonant and resonant cross sections, and stellar burning. An excellent next step after this chapter.

  • K. Krane, Introductory Nuclear Physics (Wiley, 1988). Chapter 14 covers fusion in a compact, accessible style appropriate for advanced undergraduates. Good worked examples.

  • J. Freidberg, Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy (Cambridge University Press, 2007). A comprehensive textbook on the physics and engineering of magnetic confinement fusion. Derives the Lawson criterion in detail and covers tokamak physics.

  • J.D. Lawson, "Some Criteria for a Power Producing Thermonuclear Reactor," Proc. Phys. Soc. B 70, 6 (1957). The original paper deriving the criterion that bears his name. Surprisingly readable.

Review Articles and Key Papers

  • E.G. Adelberger et al., "Solar Fusion Cross Sections. II. The pp Chain and CNO Cycles," Rev. Mod. Phys. 83, 195 (2011). The definitive compilation of nuclear reaction rates for stellar hydrogen burning. Tables of S-factors with uncertainties for all pp chain and CNO cycle reactions.

  • A.B. Balantekin and T. Takigawa, "Quantum Tunneling in Nuclear Fusion," Rev. Mod. Phys. 70, 77 (1998). Thorough review of barrier penetration in nuclear reactions, including sub-barrier fusion and electron screening.

  • The ITER Physics Basis, special issue of Nuclear Fusion 39, No. 12 (1999), updated in 47, No. 6 (2007). The comprehensive physics documentation for the ITER project. Includes the IPB98(y,2) confinement scaling and plasma physics basis.

  • A.B. Zylstra et al., "Burning Plasma Achieved in Inertial Fusion," Nature 601, 542 (2022). Report of the first burning plasma at NIF (the precursor to the December 2022 ignition shot).

  • H. Abu-Shawareb et al. (Indirect Drive ICF Collaboration), "Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment," Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022); and "Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment," Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 065102 (2024). The key papers reporting the NIF ignition milestone.

  • B.N. Sorbom et al., "ARC: A Compact, High-Field, Fusion Nuclear Science Facility and Demonstration Power Plant with Demountable Magnets," Fusion Eng. Des. 100, 378 (2015). The conceptual design for the ARC reactor, illustrating how high-field HTS magnets could enable compact fusion power plants.

Solar Neutrinos

  • R. Davis, D.S. Harmer, and K.C. Hoffman, "Search for Neutrinos from the Sun," Phys. Rev. Lett. 20, 1205 (1968). The original paper reporting the solar neutrino deficit.

  • Q.R. Ahmad et al. (SNO Collaboration), "Direct Evidence for Neutrino Flavor Transformation from Neutral-Current Interactions in SNO," Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 011301 (2002). The definitive resolution of the solar neutrino problem.

Online Resources

  • IAEA Nuclear Data Services (https://www-nds.iaea.org/): Nuclear reaction databases including evaluated cross sections and S-factors for fusion reactions. The EXFOR database contains experimental data.

  • Fusion Industry Association (https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/): Annual surveys of private fusion companies, including technology approaches, timelines, and investment levels.

  • ITER Organization (https://www.iter.org/): Official website for the ITER project, with technical documentation, construction progress, and educational materials.

  • National Ignition Facility (https://lasers.llnl.gov/): Information about NIF, including detailed accounts of the ignition experiments.

Historical

  • H.A. Bethe, "Energy Production in Stars," Phys. Rev. 55, 434 (1939). Bethe's Nobel Prize-winning paper identifying the CNO cycle as a stellar energy source. A landmark in nuclear astrophysics.

  • G. Gamow, "Zur Quantentheorie des Atomkernes," Z. Phys. 51, 204 (1928). Gamow's original paper on quantum tunneling through the Coulomb barrier, applied to alpha decay. The same physics underlies the Gamow factor for fusion.