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0014 March 21, 2014 Final Draft Rhetorical Analysis of Paul Rincons article, Nuclear fusion milestone passed at US lab Nuclear fusion is a term used to describe the reaction of small atoms fusing together to create larger atoms. This reaction is what powers our Sun, and creates the heat and energy needed for life on Earth. Scientist have been developing technology to recreate the reaction on earth in the hopes to harness the potential energy stored in all matter. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California, is the home to one of the worlds largest nuclear fusion reactor. In late September of 2013, the scientists at the NIF were able to create an efficient fusion reaction, in which they created the same amount of energy that was used to start the reaction. In this paper, I will be analyzing the rhetorical decisions of Paul Rincons article discussing this major breakthrough for the field of nuclear fusion. Rincon is the science editor for the BBC New website, which gives Rincon credibility on this topic. Rincon has not written about fusion in the recent past, but has written many articles relating to science and technology, meaning that he might not be a professional on the topic of fusion, but that he would have the background knowledge to be able to understand and report on this achievement. The kind of information that he is reporting on does not require an advance knowledge in the field, only an understanding of how fusion works. Rincon proves this

understanding by explaining how the reaction works, the potential of fusion technology, and how the NIF attempts to recreate this reaction. Readers should also look at the publication source when determining credibility of an article. The BBC, a British based news company, is trusted around the world for providing reliable trust worthy information. By creating this credibility, this allows the reader to trust Rincons article and opinions, which is essential for any journalist to be successful. The major claim made by Rincon in his article is that fusion technology has the potential to create sustainable energy, and that the NIF reactor is the closest reactor to achieve this goal. Rincon makes his view point known early in the article by stating that Harnessing fusion - the process that powers the Sun - could provide an unlimited and cheap source of energy (Rincon). This sentence is not only used to describe the potential of fusion, but to also create interest in the reader. With the growing problems of fossil fuels, people have been searching for alternative energies, which is one of the biggest reasons for fusion research. Tom Hartsfield published an article titled Fusion Power: The Good, Bad and Ugly in which he discusses the pros and cons of nuclear fusion. In the Good section, he talks about the NIF and how it works, plus the potential of nuclear fusion as an energy source. These ideas reinforce Rincon statements in his article. The Bad and Ugly section though talks about problems with nuclear fusion and the NIF. This includes the fact that the NIF is $3 billion over budget, and behind schedule (Hartsfield). Rincon only briefly brings this point up saying that they expected to produce a net energy reaction by September 30, 2012 (Rincon). Hartsfield also talks about an old joke in the nuclear fusion world, Its 40 years away that has been around sense the 1970s (Hartsfield). This joke is referring to the skepticism that people have had towards nuclear fusion, and that it is an impossible technology that will always be out of our grasp. Rincon did not

include this information in his article, possibly because he did not want to take away from his main argument. This is an example of bias in Rincons article. Rincon could have possibly used the information of the new breakthrough to counter the argument that fusion is impossible, and put to rest a running joke that has been going on for the past 40 years. The title of the article tells the reader that this article is discussing nuclear fusion technology, and that a US lab has achieved something important in this field of research. Rincon chose this title to summarize the premise of the article in a single sentence while best trying to attract the attention of his intended audience. The intended audiences of this article are people who have an invested interest in nuclear fusion, and or anyone who are interested in alternative energies. This title also serves the purpose of grabbing the attention of anyone interested in the United States nuclear program, which has been a concern of the population sense the Cold War. Rincon states in his article, the latest experiments agree well with predictions of energy output, which will provide a welcome boost to ignition research at NIF, as well as encouragement to advocates of fusion energy in general (Rincon). This quote is referring to how recently the NIF shifted focus away from weapons research, towards energy production. This is a major fear of readers who do not fully understand fusion. Most people when they hear about nuclear energy, fusion or fission, first think of atomic bombs, which the United States used to end World War II against Japan. While Little Boy and Fat Man were fission bombs, we have created fusion bombs which are much larger and dangerous then their fission counter parts. Rincon mentions this to quell any protest the audiance might have about the use of this technology towards the development of weapons of mass destruction.

Rincon starts the article with a picture of the inside of the NIF reactor. It shows a man working on an arm protruding from the inside of a massive sphere covered in electronics and sensors. At the end of this arm are two prongs holding a capsule that is the size of a human thumb. This capsule is the storage container for the fusion fuel. The man working in the reactor is covered head to toe in protective material. Rincon uses this image to help the reader visualize what the reactor looks like and the accuracy of the technology involved. Rincon will later go to discuss how it works, but throughout this article, the reader only knows that fusion happens in the sun, and has no way of knowing how it would look on earth. This image is placed at the beginning of the article to create scale for the reader so they can start to visualize the process of the reaction, and to grab the attention of the audience. Later on in the article, Rincon puts a computer graphic about half way through the article depicting the fusion reaction going on within the capsule that holds the fuel. The graphic give a good representation of how the lasers interact with the capsule, and how the lasers create the heat and pressure needed to compress the fuel to cause the reaction. The location of the info graphic is also important because it gives you an idea what 192 lasers meeting at a point the size of a pin would look like, which Rincon previously finished explaining. The graphic also provides space to add some scientific facts that might not have pertinent to the article, such as detailed descriptions of the scientific process of how the lasers heat the hydrogen fuel with X-ray radiation (Rincon). Near the end of the article, Rincon discusses the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, that is in the process of being built. When completed, the ITER will be the largest and most expensive nuclear fusion reactor ever built, and is expected to be able to break the efficiency barrier. The ITER will be using a tokomak magnetic confinement design, unlike the NIF which uses lasers to create the heat necessary for fusion. Rincon creates

this comparison to show the reader that there are other directions of research in the field of fusion, and to also show diversity in the reactor technology. It also adds emphasis to the break though that the NIF made, due to the fact most people were predicting that this milestone would be accomplished by the ITER once it was finished. Rincons article does a good job showcasing the accomplishment of the NIF breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion. He effectively explains the science behind the fusion so that readers can understand how it works, and how it can be beneficial as a source of energy. He uses visuals and supporting details to keep the reader interested and to establish credibility on the topic. Rincons rhetorical decisions create credibility (ethos) as a scientific writer, which allows him to explain the significance of this breakthrough (logos), and then explains how this advancement could be beneficial (pathos).

Works Cited Hartsfield, Tom. Fusion Power: The Good, Bad and Ugly Real Clear Science. 18 Jul. 2012 Web. 20 Mar.2014. http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2012/07/18/fusion_ power_the_good_bad_and_ugly_106328.html Rincon, Paul. Nuclear fusion milestone passed at US lab BBC. 7 Oct. 2013 Web. 14 Mar. 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24429621