Neutron-yield scaling laws for plasma focus devices

It is shown that neutron yield scales approximately like the current in the focus to the power 4.7 in a large number of plasma focus experiments in which anomalous effects, such as the upper pressure limit, are not present. The generality of this scaling law for plasma focus devices with very different geometrical and electric parameters is a very interesting result, because it represents a common feature among experiments in which the evidences on the origin of nuclear fusion reactions seem contradictory. As an explanation of the general tendency of the scaling law, two alternative phenomenologic hypotheses, based on the preponderance of thermal or beam-target effects on the nuclear reaction yield, are discussed. 17 refs, 3 figs