LIOR

Addressing the growing concerns about climate change requires refocusing international efforts on developing low-carbon energy sources. Nuclear energy has a critical role to play in this equation, but it produces radioactive waste. The secure management of radioactive waste is the pivotal prerequisite for constructing an energy future with reduced reliance on hydrocarbons. Our proposal is aimed to explore a ground-breaking method to thoroughly probe such waste, in particular legacy waste, about which little is known in detail, thereby preventing efficient treatment. What we propose is to evaluate the feasibility of a novel dual interrogation method (simultaneously employing X-rays for density measurement and neutrons for elemental analysis), powered by ultra high-power lasers, to determine whether it could be portable for deployment at inspection and treatment sites - a feat currently unattainable. If feasible, our method could also pave the way for generalized compact cargo inspection. Our proposal will benefit from the unique competitivity cluster offered by our consortium (LULI, leader in laser-matter interactions, CELIA, leader in numerical simulations of the latter, IRSN, leader in neutronics and instrumentation and the company TRACTEBEL, specialist in radiological characterization, nuclear waste management and storage), powered by a unique access to the multi-PW lasers “Apollon”, a French IR* large-scale infrastructure.