What to read after Fusion Physics?

Humans do not live by bread alone. Physically we are puny creatures with

limited prowess, but with unlimited dreams. We see a mountain and want to

move it to carve out a path for ourselves. We see a river and want to tame it so

that it irrigates our fields. We see a star and want to fly to its planets to secure a

future for our progeny. For all this, we need a genie who will do our bidding at

a flip of our fingers. Energy is such a genie. Modern humans need energy and

lots of it to live a life of comfort. In fact, the quality of life in different regions of

the world can be directly correlated with the per capita use of energy [1.1–1.5].

In this regard, the human development index (HDI) of various countries based

on various reports by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

[1.6] (Fig. 1.1), which is a parameter measuring the quality of life in a given

part of the world, is directly determined by the amount of per capita electricity

consumption. Most of the developing world (~5 billion people) is crawling up the

UN curve of HDI versus per capita electricity consumption, from abysmally low

values of today towards the average of the whole world and eventually towards

the average of the developed world. This translates into a massive energy hunger

for the globe as a whole. It has been estimated that by the year 2050, the global

electricity demand will go up by a factor of up to 3 in a high growth scenario

[1.7–1.9]. The requirements beyond 2050 go up even higher.