Prospects for fusion power

The quest for fusion power began some forty years ago, with the discovery of nuclear fusion reactions, followed by the theory of thermonuclear processes, which successfully explained the source of the energy of the Sun and stars. But then, apart from the musings of a perceptive few, nearly twenty years passed before heightened interest in nuclear energy sources stimulated a serious attack on the problem. By this time both the potentialities of fusion and the growing need for energy from other than fossil-fuel sources had become apparent. Here I shall try to evaluate the present state of research on controlled thermonuclear reactions in the context of the urgent need for developing new, environmentally acceptable, energy sources.