Life at the center of the energy crisis : a technologist's search for a black swan / monograph

__Life at the Center of the Energy Crisis: A Technologist's Search for a Black Swan__ Readership: Undergraduates and PhDs, as well as anyone in the general public interested in the history of the field. Contents 6 Dedication 8 Acknowledgments 9 Foreword by Heinz Hora 10 Preface Why a “Black Swan”? 14 Living at the Center of the Energy Crisis 18 Timeline and Apology 20 Chapter 1 Early Days and Searching for a Starting Path 22 Further Reading 29 Chapter 2 Burnable Poison Control for Nuclear Submarine Reactors 30 Further Reading 34 Chapter 3 Nuclear Pulse Propagation and Fission Reactor Kinetics 36 Further Reading 42 Chapter 4 Nuclear Pumped Laser (NPL) Research 44 Further Reading 62 Chapter 5 Direct Electron Beam Pumped Laser 64 Further Reading 67 Chapter 6 Advanced Lasers 68 Further Reading 71 Chapter 7 Alpha Particle Effects in Thermonuclear Fusion Devices 72 Further Reading 75 Chapter 8 Alternate Fusion Concepts 78 Further Reading 91 Chapter 9 Advanced Fuel Fusion and Direct Energy Conversion 92 Further Reading 103 Chapter 10 Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) 104 Further Reading 113 Chapter 11 Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusion 114 Further Reading 128 Chapter 12 Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) 130 Further Reading 144 Chapter 13 Hydrogen Economy and Fuel Cells 146 Further Reading 153 Chapter 14 Fusion Propulsion and Space Colonization 154 Further Reading 165 Chapter 15 Nuclear Batteries 168 Further Reading 174 Chapter 16 Computation and Theory 176 Further Reading 179 Chapter 17 Nuclear Power Plant Safety and the Illinois Low-Level Waste Site 180 Further Reading 189 Chapter 18 Teaching, Education, and University Administration 190 Further Reading 204 Chapter 19 Creation of a Small Company, NPL Associates, Inc. 206 Further Reading 211 Chapter 20 Where Am I in the Search? What Have I Found? 212 Chapter 21 Concluding Comments 218 Appendix Timeline of Events 222 Afterword 228 Index 230 Life at the Center of the Energy Crisis: A Technologist's Search for a Black Swan describes the story of the author's work and struggles in the field of energy research. The author's experience in the field spans from work with Admiral Rickover and the Nuclear Navy to research with NASA designing propulsion for spacecraft to travel to Mars. The book provides insights into the differences between nuclear research done during the Cold War by the two superpowers, and offers a commentary on the flaws in each system with hope for change in the future. The book also provides a look into the development of the nuclear engineering program at the University of Illinois from the author's years as a professor and an administrator. Readership: Undergraduates and PhDs, as well as anyone in the general public interested in the history of the field.