What's interesting is that stellarator actually is not just an alternative, but a wholly parallel branch of evolution - it's not like one was invented strictly after another, and the authors of both designs never knew about the other's work before they completed theirs.
What's even more interesting is that the fusor - the simplest possible design for a thermonuclear reactor, so simple that anyone skilled in electrical engineering and having access to proper civilan equipment can build one with ease - seems to be invented _after_ both stellarator and tokamak.
That said, I never particularly liked stellarator design. The very _complexity_ of it somehow feels subtly wrong, like doubling down in the wrong direction.
However, this is one of the cases where I would absolutely love to be proven wrong. We are far past due big breakthroughs in the field.
What's even more interesting is that the fusor - the simplest possible design for a thermonuclear reactor, so simple that anyone skilled in electrical engineering and having access to proper civilan equipment can build one with ease - seems to be invented _after_ both stellarator and tokamak.
That said, I never particularly liked stellarator design. The very _complexity_ of it somehow feels subtly wrong, like doubling down in the wrong direction.
However, this is one of the cases where I would absolutely love to be proven wrong. We are far past due big breakthroughs in the field.