Nuclear Fusion : The Race to Build a Mini-Sun on Earth (2022) by Sharon Ann Holgate is a short book that provides a overview of nuclear fusion. It’s part of the Hot Science series edited by Brian Clegg. Holgate has a doctorate in Physics and has written a number of popular books on science and a physics textbook.
The book begins with an overview of nuclear physics and describes what fusion is. Then there is a chapter that quickly looks at the z-pinch and then moves on to tokamaks. There is then more on Tokamaks and some detail is given to looking at ITER and Wendelstein 7-X. The next chapter features the NIF and inertial confinement fusion and also General Fusion. There there is more in ITER. There is also a chapter that has a few pages about Fukushima, which is a curious choice for a book about nuclear fusion. There is also a description of the role of robots in in fusion and then finally a description of the progress of fusion and how the race is on to get a working reactor.
The book actually meanders around and tries to cover too much. The book The Future of Fusion Energy covers the topic in more depth and does a better job. The book That Star Builders looks at a number of the current experiments and companies in more detail. A Piece of the Sun cover the history of fusion experiments in more detail. Nuclear Fusion : The Race to Build a Mini-Sun on Earth is the shortest of these books but it’s probably going to be confusing to anyone as a popular book on fusion.
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