Begin explanation of research sections

- Previously there really wasn't much to show for covering the
  _actual_ research of elara
- This begins to add in pages describing our research

book/_toc.yml

@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ parts:
     - file: specifics/modern-phys-foundations.md
       sections:
       - file: specifics/modern-phys-foundations/quantum-mechanics.md
+    - file:  specifics/research-guide.md
+      sections:
+      - file: specifics/research-guide/intro-to-research.md
 - caption: The expert's guide
   chapters:
     - file: expert-guide/index.md
@@ -66,4 +69,4 @@ parts:
 - caption: Appendix
   chapters:
   - file: appendix/credits
-  - file: appendix/acknowledgements
+  - file: appendix/acknowledgements

book/specifics/research-guide.md

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Guide to research
+
+With all the prerequisites covered, we're now ready to cover the actual research of Project Elara. Our research ties together many fields of physics and engineering, which is why we will explain it step-by-step. The following sections serve as both a learner's guide and reference guide to our research, and it is our honor to share it with the world.

book/specifics/research-guide/intro-to-research.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Introduction to Elara's research
+
+Project Elara is not a single research project; it is a collection of multiple research projects managed under the umbrella of the same organization, which also leads its research alliances and conducts its partnerships. However, the priority research project conducted by Project Elara is its **universal power initiative**. This research focuses on the technologies crucial to building a system of power collection and distribution designed to endure for centuries and provide free (or nearly free), universal, and abundant energy to all corners of the globe.
+
+The central portion of this technology is the development of **space power swarms**. We are trying to bring the energy of the Sun to Earth. The technical term is space-based solar power, but it might as well be called stellar energy harvesting at the scale we're planning to do it at. The end goal is a source of energy from space so powerful that we would have more abundant energy than we would ever need.
+
+There are two key numbers that are central to this entire mission. The Sun is a star, which means it is a nuclear furnace. A statistic we will quote frequently is the following: the Sun emits $3.846\times 10^{26}$ watts of power from nuclear fusion, while Earth's 2023 global power consumption was, on average, $2.049 \times 10^{13}$ watts. We emphasize: to collect *even a fraction* of the Sun's total power output would not just be sufficient for the energy needs of humanity, but orders of magnitude beyond.
+
+The question then becomes, how do we collect this power? More pragmatic people have already made solutions - solar panels and concentrated solar thermal power. The first doesn't need any explanation; the second works rather like a heat ray that is used to run a heat engine. But these solutions have bottlenecks that inherently limit them from collecting any substantial fraction of solar power.
+
+First, **solar availability**. The Earth is not right next to the Sun; rather, it is an astronomical unit away, or around 150 million kilometers. Recall that due to energy conservation, $P \propto 1/r^2$, that is, power decays by the inverse square of distance. This would not be as much of an issue, if not for the fact that most regions do not have constant sunlight at all times. Even more so, solar power stations on Earth are typically limited in size: among the largest non-fossil fuel power plants, we see nuclear power stations and hydro-power stations, but not really solar power. 
+
+But neither is necessarily a dealbreaker. The _biggest_ issue inherent to all terrestrial solar power plants is that the Sun is not available at night, during storms, or on cloudy days - and for tropical regions, heavy rainfall and typhoons/monsoons/hurricanes make solar power incredibly vulnerable to the weather. The Sun may shine bright, but it can only shine so bright when the atmospheric conditions stand in the way.
+
+A space-based solar system would be purpose-built for one specific purpose: collect as much power as possible from the sun, and transmit it as efficiently as possible to Earth. Size is a blessing in the context of solar power, because $P \propto A$, that is, power is proportional to the receiving surface area. And space-based power solutions - especially when satellite constellations are used - can transmit solar energy to the ground 24 hours a day, with longer wavelengths of light that can pass through the atmosphere with nearly no loss of power, even in heavy rain or storms.
+
+Second, **scale**. Earth-based structures have inherent limitations in where they can be built. Space-based structures, however, are theoretically unlimited in scale, and can be made to have minimal structural support, as they are in free-fall and (roughly speaking) do not need to withstand gravity. Their solar collection surfaces can be extremely large and thin, allowing them to gather as much sunlight as possible, which can then be focused into a tight beam for transmission.
+
+And third, **equity**. This is not as much of a current concern, but a reliance on Earth's natural resources for energy has invited endless conflict and seizures of energy resources have left many countries behind. Placing energy sources in space does not change human nature, but it does allow for essentially unlimited distribution of energy to anywhere on earth. The ubiquity of GPS and other satellite communication systems is not without reason.
+
+However, space comes with its own set of issues. The first is complexity: the intersection of space physics, material physics, aeronautical engineering, quantum optics, and electromagnetic theory is certainly not simple. The second is cost. Launching anything into orbit (at present) is _immensely_ expensive, so every kilogram launched has to be worth its thousand-dollar price tag. However, cost is not as much of an issue _if the technology can be made worth that cost_. The third, of course, is that this has never been done before. It may be inspiring and adventurous, but that also makes it very risky.
+
+This is why Project Elara was founded to not operate over a few years, or even one person's lifetime, but over many (possibly dozens) of generations, utilizing the best practices in data preservation to ensure that future generations can build on an ever-growing body of knowledge, and administratively designed to ensure continuity of leadership even through catastrophic events. This allows us to tackle the sorts of projects no one else could dare to do, the projects that truly could change the world.