Scaling, stability, and fusion mechanisms. Studies using plasma focus devices from tens of kilojoules to tenth of joules

Fusion studies using plasma focus devices from tens of kilojoules to less than one joule performed at the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission are presented. The similarity of the physical behavior and the scaling observed in these machines are emphasized. Experiments on actual devices show that scaling holds at least through six order of magnitude. In particular all of these devices, from the largest to the smallest, keep the same quantity of energy per particle. Therefore, fusion reactions are possible to be obtained in ultraminiature devices (driven by generators of 0.1 J), as they are in the bigger devices (driven by generators of 1 MJ). However, the stability of the plasma depends on the size and energy of the device.