Laser Megajoule Project

A major simulation and industrial coordination project

The French Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) has launched the construction of a simulation tool to avoid testing nuclear bombs in their natural environment. This exceptional work, designed for scientists, makes it possible to reproduce thermonuclear fusion in the laboratory.
The Laser Megajoule (LMJ) is the most powerful laser in the world. It consists of 240 laser beams converging on a target just 2.4 millimeters in diameter to simulate a nuclear fusion reaction.

The first series of tests demonstrated the importance of high-precision positioning of the various elements and monitoring of the deformation of all structures to ensure optimal beam concentration on the target for each experiment.

High-precision monitoring for a cutting-edge project

Sixense, in an integrated consortium with the French National Geographic Institute (IGN), proposed an innovative solution to achieve the relative accuracy of 50 μm required for the smooth running of the experimental setup.

A fine topometric network was defined. In total, almost 2,500 markers were placed in a building over 300 meters long, with an accuracy of around 50 microns.
A network of Cyclops laser trackers is used to quickly determine the position of objects and structures.
A number of different types of high-precision sensors were also used to monitor the deformation of structural elements in real time.

Extensive simulation and industrial coordination work was carried out on site and continued over the next 5 years using the AERO quality formalism.