Season 8, Episode 10: The Form of the Danger is an Emanation of Energy (Patreon)

This week MSB covers 0083 Stardust Memory episode 10: 激突戦域 (Colliding War Zones). This episode has it all: predictions, atrocities, Admiral Cowen's secret plot to ascend the ranks of the Federation Forces' hydra-like high command, and a man who speaks in aphorisms.

Show Notes

Please note: the show notes for episodes 8.10 and 8.11 are the same, since it's really one research piece in two parts.

Principles of Fusion and Fusion Reactors

• What is Nuclear fusion?, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. Available at https://www.ipp.mpg.de/15047/kernfusion
• Basic fusion physics, International Atomic Energy Agency. Available at https://www.iaea.org/topics/energy/fusion/background
• Fusion - Frequently Asked Questions, International Atomic Energy Agency. Available at https://www.iaea.org/topics/energy/fusion/faqs
• DOE Explains… Nuclear Fusion Reactions, American Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Available at https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsnuclear-fusion-reactions
• American Department of Energy’s Office of Science, DOE Explains… Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Reactor Fuel. Available at https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsdeuterium-tritium-fusion-reactor-fuel
• Nuclear fusion in the Sun, University of Calgary Energy Education. Available at https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_fusion_in_the_Sun
• Star Life Cycle, University of Utah. Available at https://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/Labs/StarLife/fusion.html
• Fusion on the Sun, EUROfusion. Available at https://euro-fusion.org/fusion/fusion-on-the-sun/
• Paul Breeze, Nuclear Power, Academic Press (October 15, 2016).
• The Sun’s Structure and Nuclear Fusion, Calspace (University of California at San Diego). Available at http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/ita/07_2.shtml
• An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy, National Research Council (2013). Available at https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18289/an-assessment-of-the-prospects-for-inertial-fusion-energy
  • Specifically Appendix A: The Basic Science of Inertial Fusion Energy. Available at https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/18289/chapter/8
• Farrokh Najmabadi et al., Fusion reactor, Encyclopedia Britannica. Updated May 12, 2023. Available at https://www.britannica.com/technology/fusion-reactor
• Clea Simon, Why nuclear fusion is so exciting, Harvard Gazette, December 13, 2022. Available at https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/12/why-nuclear-fusion-is-so-exciting/
• Succinct definition of Plasma from the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: https://www.psfc.mit.edu/vision/what_is_plasma
• Fraser Cain, What is the Light From Stars?, February 10, 2009. Available at https://www.universetoday.com/25179/what-is-the-light-from-stars/
• Beau Counts, Photovoltaics: The Conversion of Sunlight into Electricity, April 19, 2014. Available at http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/webproj/212_spring_2014/Beau_Counts/beau_counts/page_3.html
• Aabha Dixit (editor), International Atomic Energy Agency Fact Sheet: Harnessing Energy from Nuclear Fusion. Available at https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/19/09/harnessing-energy-from-nuclear-fusion.pdf
• Carley Willis and Joanne Liou, Safety in Fusion, International Atomic Energy Agency Bulletin 62-2. May 2021. Available at https://www.iaea.org/bulletin/safety-in-fusion
• C.K. Li et al., Study of direct-drive, deuterium-tritium gas-filled plastic capsule implosions using nuclear diagnostics at OMEGA, Physics of Plasma 8, 11. November 2001. Available at https://www-internal.psfc.mit.edu/research/hedp/Home%20Page/Papers/Li2001.pdf
• The Fission Process and Heat Production from Reactor Concepts Manual, USNRC Technical Training Center. Available at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/for-educators/02.pdf
• Nuclear Fission Energy, from the Guide to the Nuclear Science Wall Chart, Contemporary Physics Education Project. Updated August 9, 2000. Available at https://www2.lbl.gov/abc/wallchart/chapters/14/1.html
• Achieving Fusion Ignition, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Available at https://lasers.llnl.gov/science/pursuit-of-ignition
• Fuelling the Fusion Reaction, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Available at https://www.iter.org/sci/FusionFuels
• Making It Work, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Available at https://www.iter.org/sci/MakingitWork
• Jeremy Hsu, Plasma Ring Experiment Offers New Path for Fusion Power, IEEE Spectrum. April 19, 2013. Available at https://spectrum.ieee.org/plasma-ring-experiment-offers-new-path-for-fusion-power
• Plasma Device Developed at MU Could Revolutionize Energy Generation and Storage, Mizzou on YouTube. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5sIPJL_6F8

Effect of Neutron Radiation on Materials

• Frederick L. Vook, Effects of radiation on materials, Physics Today 28, 9, 34 (1975). Available at https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/4189920
• Sophia Chen, Sorting Out the Neutron Lifetime, American Physical Society 28, 7 (July 2019). Available at https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201907/neutron.cfm
• George Chabot, Answer to Question #13412 Submitted to "Ask the Experts" (Does radiation have any effect on aluminum or mercury?), Health Physics Society (April 8, 2020). Available at http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q13412.html
• P. Rinard, Neutron Interactions with Matter, Los Alamos National Laboratory (1997). Available at https://www.lanl.gov/org/ddste/aldgs/sst-training/_assets/docs/PANDA/Neutron%20Interactions%20with%20Matter%20Ch.%2012%20p.%20357-378.pdf
• Interactions of Neutrons with Matter, slide show from Basic Health Physics, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (February 4, 2011). Available at https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1122/ML11229A705.pdf
• Michael Amdi Madsen, Neutron Blast Fusion Materials in New IAEA Project, International Atomic Energy Agency (April 4, 2022). Available at https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/neutrons-blast-fusion-materials-in-new-iaea-project
• Physics of Uranium and Nuclear Energy, from the World Nuclear Association, available at https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/introduction/physics-of-nuclear-energy
• Carl R. Nave, "Nuclear Fission" and "Fissionable Isotopes" from Hyperphysics. Available at http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/NucEne/fission.html
• Fissionable Material from Nuclear-Power.com, available at https://www.nuclear-power.com/glossary/fissionable-material/
• Xuelong Fu et al., The Advancement of Neutron Shielding Materials for the Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations (2021). Available at https://www.hindawi.com/journals/stni/2021/5541047/
• Hector Rene Vega Carrillo et al., NEUTRON SHIELDING PERFORMANCE OF WATER-EXTENDED POLYESTER, Second European IRPA Congress, Paris, (15-19 May, 2006). Available at https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/39/075/39075326.pdf
• Franco Cozzani, Fission, Fusion and Staging (July 26, 2011). Available at http://www.ieri.be/fr/publications/ierinews/2011/juillet/fission-fusion-and-staging
• Rubel, M. Fusion Neutrons: Tritium Breeding and Impact on Wall Materials and Components of Diagnostic Systems. J Fusion Energ 38, 315–329 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-018-0182-1

Nuclear Weapons

• Samuel Glasstone and Philip J. Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, United States Departments of Defense and Energy (1977). Available at https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/documents/effects/glasstone-dolan/index.html
• James L. Denton, The Third Nuclear Age: How I Learned to Start Worrying about the Clean Bomb (February 14, 2013). Available at https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1018896.pdf
• Suzanne L. Jones and Frank N. Von Hippel, The Question of Pure Fusion Explosions Under the CTBT, Science & Global Security 7 (1998). Available at https://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/archive/sgs07jones.pdf
• Nuclear Weapons Primer, Wisconsin Nuclear Project. Available at https://www.wisconsinproject.org/nuclear-weapons/
• Carey Sublette, Nuclear Weapons Frequently Asked Questions (March 13, 2019). Available at https://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq4-4.html
• Alex Wellerstein, Kilotons per kilogram, The Nuclear Secrecy Blog (December 23rd, 2013). Available at https://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2013/12/23/kilotons-per-kilogram/
• Richard Wolfson and Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, The Devastating Effects of Nuclear Weapons, MIT Press Reader (March 2, 2022). Available at https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/devastating-effects-of-nuclear-weapons-war/
• The Fireball from Atomic Archive.com. Available at https://www.atomicarchive.com/science/effects/fireball.html
• Robert W. Buchheim and The Rand Corporation, Space Handbook: Astronautics and its Applications, Chapter 17. Nuclear Weapons. 1958. Available at https://history.nasa.gov/conghand/nuclear.htm
• Ethan Siegel, Ask Ethan: How Can A Nuclear Bomb Be Hotter Than The Center of Our Sun?, Forbes (March 28, 2020). Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/03/28/ask-ethan-how-can-a-nuclear-bomb-be-hotter-than-the-center-of-our-sun

Casaba Howitzers

• Stan Tacket, Nuclear Pulse Propulsion: Gateway to the Stars, ANS Nuclear Cafe (March 27, 2013). Available at https://www.ans.org/news/article-1294/nuclear-pulse-propulsion-gateway-to-the-stars/
• George Dyson, Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship. Macmillan (2003). (Yes, the author is the son of the more famous Freeman Dyson of the Dyson Sphere)
• Blog post on ToughSF, The Nuclear Spear: Casaba Howitzer, June 17, 2016. Available at http://toughsf.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-nuclear-spear-casaba-howitzer.html

Starfish Prime

• Phil Plait, The 50th Anniversary of Starfish Prime: The Nuke that Shook the World, Discover Magazine, July 9, 2012. Available at https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-50th-anniversary-of-starfish-prime-the-nuke-that-shook-the-world
• Kaleena Fraga, The Incredible Story Of Starfish Prime, When The U.S. Detonated A Nuclear Bomb In Space, All That’s Interesting. November 29, 2022. Available at https://allthatsinteresting.com/starfish-prime
• David S. F. Portree, Starfish and Apollo (1962), Wired Magazine, March 21, 2012.
• Gilbert King, Going Nuclear Over the Pacific, Smithsonian Magazine, August 15, 2012.
• Brian Gutierrez, Why the U.S. once set off a nuclear bomb in space, National Geographic, July 15, 2021. Available at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-the-us-once-set-off-a-nuclear-bomb-in-space-called-starfish-prime
• U.S. Department of Defense, A “QUICK LOOK” AT THE TECHNICAL RESULTS OF STARFISH PRIME (August, 1962). Available at https://web.archive.org/web/20101105204805/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA955411&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
• Liz Boatman, Sixty Years After, Physicists Model Electromagnetic Pulse of a Once-Secret Nuclear Test, American Physical Society 31, 11 (November 10, 2022). Available at https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202212/pulse.cfm
• Robert Matthews, What would happen if a nuclear bomb was detonated in space?, Science Focus. Available at https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/what-would-happen-if-a-nuclear-bomb-was-detonated-in-space/
• Robert Krulwich, A Very Scary Light Show: Exploding H-Bombs In Space, All Things Considered on NPR (July 1, 2010). Available at https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2010/07/01/128170775/a-very-scary-light-show-exploding-h-bombs-in-space and video at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5-Rf3E9JP4
• Videos of the Starfish Prime Explosion:
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZoic9vg1fw
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFXlrn6-ypg

Electromagnetism

• Magnetic Confinement Fusion:Radiation, University of Calgary Energy Education. Available at https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_fusion_in_the_Sun
• Electromagnetic Radiation, from Climate Science Investigations, available at https://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/module-2/radiation-sun.php
• Radiation, from Energy Education.ca. Available at https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Radiation
• Edward Gerjuoy and Robert C. Stabler, Self-Confinement of Plasmas, Physics of Fluids 7 (1964). Available at https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pfl/article-abstract/7/6/920/967069/Self-Confinement-of-Plasmas
• DOE Explains… Plasma Confinement, presented by the American Department of Energy. Available at https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsplasma-confinement
• Fire and Ice: How to Keep Fusion from Melting Metal Devices,  American Physical Society (November 9, 2020). Available at https://www.aps.org/newsroom/vpr/dpp/2020/11-09-2020-10.cfm

Misc.

• David Hambling, The Secret History of Plasma Weapons, Popular Mechanics (May 23, 2022). Available at https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a25091957/plasma-weapon-history/
• Yuri Gagarin: The first man in space, BBC News. Available at https://youtu.be/KANuFlelQ5k
• Yousaf M. Butt, The EMP threat: fact, fiction, and response (part 1), Space Review. January 25, 2010. Available at https://www.thespacereview.com/article/1549/1
• Thomas B. Cochran and Robert S. Norris, Nuclear electromagnetic pulse, Encyclopedia Britannica. Updated May 25, 2023. Available at https://www.britannica.com/science/nuclear-electromagnetic-pulse.
• Dave Mosher, Nuclear bombs trigger a strange effect that can fry your electronics - here’s how it works, Insider (June 7, 2017). Available at https://www.businessinsider.com/nukes-electromagnetic-pulse-electronics-2017-5
• Angela Libal, The Temperatures of Outer Space Around the Earth, Sciencing (June 1, 2023). Available at https://sciencing.com/temperatures-outer-space-around-earth-20254.html
• Metals - Specific Heats, Engineering Toolbox. Available at https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-heat-metals-d_152.html
• Heat, Grandinetti Group. Available at https://www.grandinetti.org/heat.
• Solar Wind, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Space Technology 5, available at https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/nmp/st5/SCIENCE/solarwind.html

Relevant Wikipedia Articles Consulted

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_ray

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_particle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_chain_reaction
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_damage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-altitude_nuclear_explosion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boosted_fission_weapon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_protection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_radiation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_temperature

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamper_(nuclear_weapon)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_nuclear_explosions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion%E2%80%93fission_hybrid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Ignition_Facility

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_energy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casaba-Howitzer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
The recap music is “80's Synth Rock (Guitar Improvisation)” by Zombie-Fish.

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