Reminiscences on inertial confinement

The principle of inertial confinement has its application in many fields --even in the evolution of organic matter. On a purely mechanical level there are several examples -- one of which is the hammer and anvil. The kinetic energy of many molecules is transmitted to a few in the object to be forged, the anvil ensuring that it really goes and stays where it is intended to. A more recent example is the tamping of explosives. The denser the media, the more efficient is the tamping. This article discusses applications of inertial confinement in the author's experience. Included in the discussion are specifications regarding plasma liner implosion into a cylindrical cavity, tamped Z-pinch, imploding thin cylindrical plasma shell, and schematic views of the MIRAPI and MAFIN experiments. During the past ten years the projects aimed at using the idea of inertial confinement have multiplied well beyond the expectations of the 1960's. The liners (pushers) have many forms and dimensions, their mass may range from many kilograms to a fraction of a milligram, any of which may contribute to the production of nuclear fusion energy