CEA News sept. 2007
Transcription
CEA News sept. 2007
4 AROUND THE WORLD © CEA/Lesénechal /// Global Nuclear Energy Partnership /// ESARDA Conference /// President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences visits the CEA /// Speech on Nuclear Power in European Parliament /// Start of construction work for JHR 16 ADVANCED PARTITIONING SOLUTIONS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE © Artechnique/CEA /// Review of 15 years of research /// Partitioning /// 2006: the new law 8 NANOSCIENCES UNDERSTANDING THE NEW LAWS OF PHYSICS © P. Stroppa/CEA /// Nanostructured matter /// Quantum effects /// How are nano-objects designed? /// The toxicity of nano-objects /// MINATEC ® 24 SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS © P. Stroppa/CEA /// Dynamics of the Earth’s magnetic field reproduced in laboratory /// XEDIX : 100 TB of data screened CEA News is edited by the French Atomic Energy Commission – Communication Division – Headquarters – 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex - France - www.cea.fr Publication Director: Xavier Clément Contributors to this edition: Claire Abou, Anne-Marie Birac, Patrick Cappe de Baillon, Olivier Caron, Xavier Clément, Elisabeth De Lavergne, Thierry Ethvignot, Didier Kechemair, Florence Klotz, Lucia Le Clech, Brigitte Raffray ceanews.contact@cea.fr Graphic design: MAYA press - www.mayapress.net Cover photo: Carbon nanotube models in front of a nanotube “mat” viewed under the microscope. © CEA CEA NEWS 2 September 2007 /// Atlas, accelerating detection /// First complete simulation of PET imaging scan /// Superdoped silicon: an excellent conductor 30 31 BOOK REVIEW EXHIBITIONS FOREWORD Nuclear Energy’s Responsible, Sustainable Future Welcome to this second issue of CEA NEWS, the international publication of the French Atomic Energy Commission. CEA is committed to providing in-depth but wide ranging coverage of its activities ands achievements. We hope that this issue conforms to this goal. © L.Godart/CEA Since our last issue, momentous events have taken place in our country including the election of a new administration and the establishment of a new government. One of the new government’s priorities is a determined undertaking to expand the research effort in our country and to reform the governance and operations of universities. We at CEA welcome this development, which corresponds to our deeply held view that partnership with a strong and reactive academic sector can only be of benefit to an institution such as ours, that thrives on cross-fertilization with our domestic and international partners in both the academic and industrial sectors. We are all the more convinced that our mission is to contribute to the building of the knowledge-based, high-valued added economy that must rest on a deliberate as well as unrelenting effort in both fundamental and applied research. This, one might add, is also a key to nurturing the international partnerships that we at CEA value as a core component of our strategy. Mr. Olivier Caron Director of International Relations In the field of energy, which remains at the forefront of our priorities, CEA is committed to partaking in national and international efforts and undertakings that will foster the responsible and sustainable drive toward expanded recourse to nuclear energy. If we are to offer humanity reliable and cost-effective access to this energy source, it is of prime import that new nuclear programmes – as well as mature or expanding ones – adopt or continue to uphold the highest safety and spent fuel management standards. It is an economic requirement as well as a civic duty and moral responsibility to see to it that nuclear expansion does not result in the unwarranted accumulation and dissemination of spent fuels. A fundamental rethink of security and nonproliferation tenets are in order to address this challenge successfully. We in France pride ourselves on having pioneered an approach to the fuel cycle that is precisely geared toward rising up to the magnitude of the issue. And we are glad to see that our major international partners are now willing to reengage on the closed fuel cycle issue. This is a heartening testimony to the virtues of patient and steadfast policy development, based on confidence in science and an acute awareness of the need to engage public opinion and policy-makers. On this optimistic note, I invite you to enjoy agreeable and thoughtprovoking reading while awaiting our next issue. I CEA NEWS 3 September 2007 AroundTheWorld Global Nuclear Energy Partnership – Joint statement by France, China, Japan, USA and Russia potential, to seek partnerships with countries wishing to access nuclear energy and to increase its use. The goal is to offer spent fuel reprocessing and recycling solutions without requiring domestic facilities to be built. This will complement the IAEA's efforts to fine-tune its preproduction fuel service supply guarantee mechanisms. Research and development into advanced cycle technologies and fast reactors to burn actinides is also a subject of consultation and coordination as part of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), currently chaired by France. © A. Gonin/CEA Representatives of five nations (France, China, Japan, USA and Russia) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were invited by Samuel Bodman, US Secretary of Energy to a Ministerial Conference on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) in Washington on May 21, 2007. The French delegation was led by Alain Bugat, Chairman of the CEA. A joint statement was issued at the end of the conference. The GNEP is a US initiative to kick-start nuclear energy once again. On a domestic level, it aims to close off the fuel cycle and ensure large-scale reprocessing of spent fuel. Its international aims are to prevent the spread of technology that has proliferation S E C U R I T Y A N D N O N - P R O F I L E R AT I O N CEA and IRSN at the ESARDA conference The CEA and IRSN both took part in the 29th conference of ESARDA, the European Safeguards Research & Development Association from May 22 to 24 in Aix-en-Provence. This association was established in 1969 and draws together research laboratories, industrial operators, inspection bodies and government ministers from the member states of the European Union. ESARDA's goal is to facilitate R&D cooperation between the various players involved in nuclear material security controls. Around three hundred experts in the field of nuclear security and non-proliferation met for three days to review the control of nuclear materials in the European Union and around the world. Representatives of organizations such as the IAEA1, ABACC2 and INMM3 are regular participants. Olli Heinonen, Deputy Director General of the IAEA, Roland Schenkel, Director General of the Joint Research Centre (JCR – European Commission) and Dominique Ristori, Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General for Energy and Transport (DGTREN – European Commission) all spoke at the conference. Olivier Caron, CEA Director of International Relations and France's governor on the IAEA board, spoke about French policies in the areas of nuclear security and compliance with international treaties. Emmanuel Sartorius, Senior Defence and Security Official in charge of domestic control of nuclear materials, spoke about control issues in France. Video tracking : A digital camera may be attached to the radiation monitor for video capture and identification. 1. IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency, responsible for the NPT inspection provisions. 2. ABACC: Brazilian- Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of nuclear materials (regional control agency). 3. INMM : Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (USA). CEA NEWS 4 September 2007 Two types of controls apply to nuclear materials in Europe: first, security controls as instituted by the Euratom Treaty (effective since 1958), and second, nuclear weapons non-proliferation controls (NPT, effective since 1970). The inspection provisions in both treaties cover the full range of controls in order to ensure that members comply with nuclear proliferation restraints. The association's work brings the field's many experts and practitioners together to discuss relevant general topics and detailed issues that relate to particular types of nuclear facilities. The association also promotes discussion with nuclear operators and researchers to facilitate cooperation in the area of international controls, thus ensuring that treaties are applied as comprehensively as possible and that new control technologies continue to be developed. AroundTheWorld Alain Bugat, Chairman of the CEA, Catherine Bréchignac, President of the CNRS, Arnold Migus, Director General of the CNRS and Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have inked an agreement to set up a Franco-Chinese international associate particle physics laboratory, the France-China Particle Physics Laboratory (FCPPL). This agreement formalises a longstanding partnership between France and China in this field, officially recognising the joint work of more than 250 researchers, engineers and students from the two countries. The France-China Particle Physics Laboratory (FCPPL) has been set up as part of a key strategy of the CNRS IN2P3 organization (French national institute for nuclear and particle physics), consolidating its links with various Asian countries over the last two years. The institute works with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and particularly with China's rapidly expanding research sector. Several dozen scientists in France and China are already collaborating to study particle physics, astroparticles and cosmology. © P. Stroppa/CEA A NEW FRANCO-CHINESE PARTICLE PHYSICS LABORATORY This agreement sets up a framework for establishing a genuine FrancoChinese scientific community, with joint management, a joint steering committee and regular conferences. Many Chinese researchers have already been hosted by French laboratories, and the program will also allow French researchers to work in Chinese laboratories. Bilateral cooperation between CEA and Slovenia: Call for projects A second call for projects has been issued under the agreement executed on March 27, 2006 between the CEA and the Slovenian Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology. The topics selected for 2007 are the following: life sciences, new energy technologies (fuel cells, biomass, etc.), new materials (catalytic materials, nanomaterials, etc.), nuclear energy (material ageing, etc.) and lasers. The goal of these one-year projects is to strengthen relations between the CEA and Slovenian laboratories and to establish new joint ventures. This agreement provides an official framework for the work already in progress with the Republic of Slovenia. It shows the way to new areas for cooperation and strengthens current partnerships by contributing to the structures of European bilateral nuclear research in the context of the 7th Framework Programme. The projects to receive backing were chosen on July 10, 2007 as part of the second Sterling Committee meeting that was held in Marcoule. CEA NEWS 5 September 2007 Physics New scientific interest group – “Physics of the two infinities” Man has always sought to answer fundamental questions on the origins and evolution of the Universe. What is it made up of? What are the basic laws that govern it? What is its future? Pushing back the boundaries of knowledge and technology in these areas requires deeper investigation into phenomena occurring both on an infinitely small scale (elementary particles and quantum mechanics) and an infinitely large scale (cosmology and general relativity). These fascinating and closely related physics fields are the focus of the scientific interest group “Physics of the two infinities” (P2i) which was officially launched on 30 March 2007 and draws together 19 laboratories at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), CEA (Atomic Energy Commission), the Paris Observatory and various higher education bodies (Pierre and Marie Curie University Paris 6), Paris Diderot University (Paris 7), Paris-Sud University (Paris 11) and the École Polytechnique. P2i has set itself the goals of achieving international recognition, increasing coordination in research and boosting the dynamism and resources of teams working in subatomic physics and cosmology in the Paris region. Particle physicists, nuclear physicists, theorists and astrophysicists will pool their equipment as part of the consortium. The aim is also to promote skill-sharing in order to tackle the major scientific challenges laid down by nature, such as the exploration of dark matter and dark energy, which are poorly understood, but together account for more than 95% of the Universe's energy density. © CEA/Dapnia AroundTheWorld Lu Yongxiang, visits the CEA © D.Marchand/CEA He then had a meeting with Bernard Bigot, High Commissioner for Atomic Energy. During his trip to France, Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences1 and Vice-Chairman of the People's National Congress visited Saclay on April 11, 2007. He was received by Yves Caristan, Director of Physical Sciences, André Syrota, Director of Life Sciences and Olivier Caron, Director of International Relations, and was shown the latest developments in the CEA's work, witnessing at first hand the dynamic working environment at Saclay. Mr. Lu's visit included Soleil, the third generation synchrotron inaugurated last December, and NeuroSpin, the new intense-field nuclear magnetic resonance cerebral imaging (MRI) center. During the visit, CEA Chairman Alain Bugat signed two agreements on behalf of the CEA in the presence of Zhao Jinjun, Chinese Ambassador to France. The first was an agreement to set up an international associate laboratory involving the CEA, CNRS and the Chinese Academy of Sciences focusing on high-energy physics, and the second was an amendment to the agreement between the CEA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences on cosupervision of research projects. Mr. Lu emphasized the importance of the CEA's collaboration to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and described it as strategic. He suggested instituting a yearly forum to promote exchange between researchers from the two bodies. Start of construction work for Jules Horowitz research reactor Construction work on the Jules Horowitz research reactor (JHR) was launched by François Loos, Minster for Industry, on March 19, 2007. Other figures who attended the ceremony, along with 500 other guests, included CEA Chairman Alain Bugat, Philippe Pradel, CEA Director of Nuclear Energy, Serge Durand, Director of the Cadarache research site and representatives of French industrial partners such as EDF and Areva. The goal of the Jules Horowitz Reactor is to develop and test new fuels and materials to be used in production reactors now and in the future, with a particular focus on Generation IV. In addition to the applications for power production, JHR will supply 25% of Europe's requirements for radioelements used in nuclear medicine and could contribute to the production of high-performance silicon for industrial and electronic components. The reactor is due for commissioning in 2014. ©CEA President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is China's largest national research organization, with 58,000 staff. Synergies New “Climate-Environment-Society” scientific interest group The work will focus on the coordinated development of climate models, observation systems and tools for effecting change on the interfaces between climate and society. With the support of the Minister for Higher Education and Research and the Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development, the research group will enjoy international stature, attracting foreign researchers and organizing conferences and communication campaigns. http://gisclimat.ipsl.jussieu.fr/ © P. Bazoge/ CEA The newly established “Climate-EnvironmentSociety” is a joint venture between the CNRS, CEA, the École Polytechnique, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, University Pierre and Marie Curie and ADEME1. Its goal is to synergize experts’ skill sets to study climate change and its consequences for society and the environment. It will create solid links between researchers in complementary disciplines – climatology, ecology, medicine, economics and the social sciences – and promote the emergence of a more precise description of the interactions between climate change and future societal choices. 1. The French Environment and Energy Management Agency CEA NEWS 6 September 2007 AroundTheWorld European Parliament: Speech by Oliver Caron on Nuclear Power © Champion/CEA Olivier Caron, CEA Director of International Relations and France's governor on the IAEA Board was invited to speak the European Energy Forum1, a discussion group led by British MEP Giles Chichester, former Chairman of the European Parliament ITRE Committee2. Mr. Caron's speech focused on the worldwide renewal of interest in nuclear energy. He described the world's current energy challenges (securing supply, combating climate change, remaining competitive) and demonstrated the vital place of this energy source. He highlighted the encouraging fact that discussions are underway within European institutions to develop a comprehensive energy policy across the European Union. After the speech, a discussion that included the fifteen or so MEPs in attendance (including representatives of the EU’s new member states) confirmed Parliament's interest in energy issues, including nuclear power in particular. There were 7 th European Framework Program for Research and Development discussions between the Committee and various MEPs on the question of nuclear safety and the requirement laid down during accession negotiations that some power stations, particularly in Bulgaria, be shut down. The issue of waste was brought up repeatedly. Mr. Caron took the opportunity to explain that technical solutions do exist and, referring to the French process, showed that waste processing is now an issue for political decision-making. 1. More info: http://www.europeanenergyforum.eu/ 2. Industry, Telecoms, Research et Energy. © DR FRANCO-JAPANESE DISCUSSIONS ON STORAGE The 5th “information exchange” between EDF, CEA and CRIEPI (Japanese Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry) was held in the Tokyo suburb of Abiko. Hervé Lagrave, high-level radwaste storage manager and Guillaume Ranc, expert in concrete structures, presented the most recent results from the Department of Fuel Cycle Technology on spent fuel storage, chiefly focusing on heat and air flows within storage facilities, the mechanical behavior of structures at temperature and the confinement of containers during accidents (earthquake or drop accident). These joint ventures should all be validated at the Management Committee meeting in September 2007. The trip also provided an opportunity to visit the Abiko center’s laboratories, which are working on seal testing, dynamic characterization of concrete and chloride source terms; the Akagi site, looking at heating within concrete containers, metal container drop accidents and the transmission and use of electricity; the JAPC spent fuel dry storage facility and the Tokai-Daini Electricity museum. CEA NEWS 7 September 2007 The 7th Framework Program was officially launched on December 22, 2006 and is the main research funding instrument for the period 2007-2013. “Its goal is to consolidate the European Research Area,” points out Claude Ayache, Director for European Affairs (CEA's International Relations Division), “and it follows directly in the footsteps of the previous framework program. There is a concerted focus on a limited number of priorities, with coordination at all levels, among researchers, institutions and State research policies.The aim is not just to provide funding, but to continue to structure research throughout Europe research.” Nevertheless, new ambitions are set out in the 7th framework programme for research and development, both in financial and political terms. The budget is up by a yearly average of 60% compared with the 6th framework program, with a total envelope of € 54.5 billion over the period 2007-2013. There are new challenges on the research side too. “The biggest of the challenges,” says Mr. Ayache, “is setting up the European Research Council. The aim is to promote scientific excellence by funding very high-level research, pushing back the boundaries of knowledge. Establishing exploratory research as a major factor for future competitiveness is a first within the European Community. Other new aspects of the 7th framework program include a boost for industrial collaborations, with new forms of public-private partnerships, European Technology Partnerships and Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs). Finally, there are two new research priorities, security and space.” TWO NEW CEA COUNSELORS IN EUROPE: - Alain Régent in London - Claude Sainte-Catherine in Helsinki Pierre-Yves Cordier replaces Dominique Ochem after his four-year stint, in Tokyo Please refer to the back cover for contact information. NANOSCIENCES UNDERSTANDING T rying to manipulate nano-objects, understanding the behavior of finely divided matter, exploring quantum effects: these are some of the challenges facing fundamental research in nanosciences. At the level of atoms and molecules, there is a whole world to explore: the nanoworld, christened thus in NEW LAWS OF PHYSICS Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is among the tools frequently used in nanoscience. © C. Fuseau/CEA Stimulated by the race towards miniaturization in the microelectronics industry, research in Nanosciences is conducted at two departments within the Physical Sciences Division: the Drecam 1 in Saclay and the DRFMC 2 in Grenoble. This involves disciplinary fields at the crossroads of Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Activities at Saclay in the spotlight. reference to the nanometer, a billionth of a meter. Observing atoms and molecules individually became possible at the start of the 1980s thanks to two inventions: the scanning tunneling microscope for materials that conduct electricity and its derivative, the atomic force microscope for insulating materials. These instruments are used both to observe surfaces and to manipulate atoms or molecules. Pooling the talents of chemists, physicists and biologists has played a decisive role in the creation of electronic devices and innovative materials. CEA NEWS 8 September 2007 © CEA TOPICS TO EXPLORE /// Nanostructured matter /// Quantum effects /// How are nano-objects designed? /// Toxicity of nano-objects /// MINATEC ® THE ADVANTAGES OF NANOSTRUCTURED MATTER Pilot installation of nanopowder synthesis using the inflow pyrolysis method. How do the properties of particles change when their dimensions go from the micrometric to the nanometric scale? A more radiation-resistant ceramic A ceramic is a material obtained by heat treatment (sintering) from powders generally of micrometric size. A team specializing in laser pyrolysis has developed an original technique for producing chemical composites in powders of calibrated sizes. According to recent experiments, ceramics made from nanometric powders produced in a laboratory are more resistant to radiation than traditional ceramics. In both cases, it is possible to see the grains, separated by grain boundaries, at different scales. Under the effect of radiation, defects appear in the crystalline organization of the grains and tend to merge until they hit an obstacle: the boundary. It seems that, in nanostructured ceramics, the appearance of radiation damage is delayed because the web of particles is a thousand times finer. From the “materials” point of view, these ceramic nanopowders could be used in the composition of composite materials for the nuclear reactors of the future. A larger active surface area Another example of a divided (or nanostructured) material is the platinum in fuel cells. The chemical reactions that produce the current in the fuel cell are accelerated (or catalyzed) by this metal when the reagents “meet”, coming into contact with it. The use of fine platinum particles makes it possible to reduce the quantity of metal required. The size of these particles varies from a few nanometers to tens of nanometers. Researchers are proposing to replace them with particles of a perfectly calibrated size. A “coating” of organic molecules prevents the particles from forming clusters and means that the distance between metal cores can be finely regulated by the choice of grafted molecules. From the perspective of application to fuel cells, the electrical conductivity of these objects can be optimized according to their size. The icing on the cake is that combining these particles with carbon nanotubes would make the catalysis sites more accessible to the reagents and improve efficiency even more. © A. Gonin/CEA Understanding the effect of size on the physical or chemical properties of particles is essential in nanosciences. The particles can be separated out individually in a powder state or bonded to solid materials. At the frontier between science and technology, researchers are shuttling back and forth between synthesizing materials, conducting experiments and performing numerical simulations and interpretations. A choice of colors One particular property of semiconductors is photoluminescence, which provides a spectacular illustration of the size effect. When they are lit, these materials give out some of the energy they receive by emitting light. The color (or energy) of this light is determined by the chemical nature and size of the semiconductor. If the specimen size is reduced to a few nanometers, there is constant variation in this color: the energy of the emitted light increases as the size of the object decreases. The behavior of the nanocrystal, also known as a quantum dot, seems to gradually approach that of an isolated atom. In particular, silicon nanocrystals, still produced by laser pyrolysis, could act as in vivo tracers for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. SIZE GUIDE 0.1 nm atom 1 nm molecule 10 nm protein > PYROLYSIS: chemical decomposition through the action of heat alone. 1. Department of Research on Condensed Matter, Atoms and Molecules 2. Condensed Matter Fundamental Research Department. © CEA 100 nm DNA CEA NEWS 9 September 2007 © Artechnique/CEA OBSERVING AND USING QUANTUM EFFECTS On the scale of atoms, electrons and photons, interactions between these entities are governed by quantum physics. This opens up new perspectives for nano-objects. © CEA WHAT IS A QUANTUM STATE? Much more than a binary piece of information, a “quantum state” is defined as a set of several simultaneously possible situations, each with a very specific probability of occurrence. An experimental measurement fixes the quantum state in a single one of these situations. To evaluate the probability attached to the situation, the measurement has to be repeated a very large number of times. Playing with electron spin Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) manifests itself as an increase in electricity conduction in an electronic device when a magnetic field is applied to it. This effect is explained on a quantum scale by electron spin, the electron's intrinsic rotation. The device consists of an assembly of two layers of metal with different magnetisms, separated by a very thin insulating layer (of the order of a nanometer). In one of the magnetic layers, the spin of the electrons is fixed by the prior state of magnetization of the material and in the other, it is subject both to the coupling with the first layer and to an external magnetic field. The degree of resistance to the passage of current, which acts as a sensor, depends on the electron spin configuration in the layers it is crossing: there is less resistance when the magnetizations are aligned than when they are opposed. GMR can be used to read (and write) information in the first magnetic layer or to measure a magnetic field. Discovered in 1998, GMR is today used on an industrial scale in the hard disks of our computers. The property is also exploited in highly sensitive sensors, one of which should be able to detect magnetic fields as tiny as those resulting from neuron activity. Regulating the electron ballet How do you describe the passage of an electric current through a metal conductor? Imagine a set of relays in which an atom (for instance copper) “gives” one of its electrons to a neighboring atom and “receives” another in >>> CEA NEWS 10 September 2007 “ Our collaboration with companies in many sectors, and these applications, are nurturing the most fundamental research into magnetism. ” Myriam Pannetier-Lecœur Physical Sciences Division/Drecam/Saclay © Artechnique/CEA As one of the dimensions of a device approaches the size of an atom, the quantum effects inherent in microscopic physics appear. They are apparent, most notably, through discontinuous energy transfers, in “packets” known as quanta. These phenomena, invisible on a large scale, open up potentially very interesting paths for exploration. This is why researchers are making an effort to observe and use quantum effects in reasonably “large” experimental devices. © F. Vigouroux/CEA NANOSCIENCES Measurement set devoted to studying spinpolarized currents in magnetic nanostructures. Fundamental research experiment on magnetism based on giant magnetoresistance © C. Dupont/CEA ELECTRONS TO SEE THE NANOWORLD Microscope resolution is limited by the diffraction of light crossing the specimen. This becomes even more of a problem as the wavelength of the light increases. Hence the idea of replacing photons with electrons, which have a shorter wavelength. In transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a flow of electrons is passed through the specimen and detected to form the image. Resolution can go below a nanometer. Meanwhile, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) uses secondary electrons emitted by the specimen when it is bombarded with electrons, on the same side as the source. This time the resolution is of the order of a nanometer. MICROSCOPES THAT CAN “SEE” ATOMS AND MOLECULES How do we “see” the atoms and molecules in a solid individually? The “eye” of these microscopes is a tip that scans the surface to be analyzed by gliding over it at a fixed height of the order of a few atom diameters (a few tenths of a nanometer). This distance is adjusted by very shortrange interactions between the last atom right on the tip and the surface. “ With the benefit of experience, theoretical formalism has been pushed out in favor of intuition and inventiveness. ” © CEA-LEM Christian Glattli Physical Sciences Division/Drecam/Saclay In the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) this interaction, quantum in nature, is manifested by a weak electric current that flows between the atom on the tip and the surface. This current rapidly increases as the tip gets closer to the surface. In the atomic force microscope (AFM), similar forces to those that make atoms bond in a molecule are at work between the atom on the tip and the atoms on the surface. At even shorter distances, forces of repulsion predominate between the atomic nuclei. Subject to these antagonistic forces, the atom spontaneously tries to remain at a fixed distance. In both cases, a computer records either the current or the force, and keeps the tip at a constant distance from the surface. The relief “felt” by the tip can be reconstituted in this way with resolution of less than a nanometer, giving the user an atom-byatom picture of the material being studied. return. Under normal conditions, electrons barely move more than about thirty nanometers before experiencing a collision that “erases” their quantum effects. To observe the effects, it is necessary to reduce the number of collisions or to thin out the electron population and extend the free trajectory of the electrons. This is why some researchers have chosen to study the interface between two semiconducting layers1, working at very low temperatures to attenuate the thermal agitation of the atoms. The electrons can therefore spread out almost freely in a plane, typically over about ten thousand nanometers. The apparatus also has electrodes that control the opening of a passage for the electrons, a few hundred nanometers wide. CEA NEWS 11 September 2007 What is observed? As the passage opens, the conductance of the system, i.e. its ability to conduct current, increases in steps! These steps correspond to the multiples of a fundamental constant known as a conductance quantum – another quantum effect! These effects can also be seen in metals when two electrodes are linked by just one or more atoms. What is even more extraordinary is that the phenomenon generates almost no spurious background noise! These “new” laws apply to nanocomponents such as carbon nanotubes, which transmit four conductance quanta – no more and no less… 1. Made from gallium arsenide (AsGa) and gallium arsenide and aluminum (AsGaAl) respectively. The density of moving electrons is governed by the dopant concentration. NANOSCIENCES HOW ARE NANO-OBJECTS DESIGNED? The carbon nanotube, the material most emblematic of the nanosciences, is “coated” with molecules to massively increase its powers. It is now possible to “coat” the nanotubes, which simply means depositing molecules on their surface, attaching them solidly to the carbon atoms, or even inserting them inside the cylinders. The “coating” can make it possible for the nanotube to attach to a prepared surface, a bit like Velcro®. More generally, combining nanotubes with molecules with specific electronic and optical properties is at the heart of research into molecular electronics. The first challenge is sorting the bare nanotubes, because they are a mixture of metallic objects and semiconductors. The second is that nanotubes are not soluble, so in their ordinary state they cannot be incorporated into a solvent, which would Some researchers are working on combining nano-objects such as DNA strands with carbon nanotubes to make T-shaped structures similar to those of a transistor. A kind of molecular Scotch® tape needs to be devised to bind the nanotube and DNA together using real chemical bonds. In this case, nanotubes are being used because of their ability to be connected to electrodes. DNA could also be used as a “pattern” to guide the spontaneous assembly of carbon nanotube structures, along the same lines as biological processes. FROM NANOTUBES TO NANORINGS It sometimes happens that the unexpected texture of the chemical “coatings” of nanotubes inspires researchers, leading to the creation of some surprising nano-objects – nanorings, for example! Observation of ring structures under a transmission electron microscope led them to include reactive functions in the initial coating to stiffen the rings and detach them from the nanotube. These nanorings could carry anti-cancer molecules to diseased cells. This drug vectorization project is being carried out by a team from Divison of Life Sciences in partnership with Laboratoire Servier. Another application, with a more fundamental aim, is to use the nanorings as a substitute cell membrane for studying proteins in cells. These proteins degrade as soon as they are removed from their environment. © A. Gonin/CEA Preparing the bare nanotubes Nanotubes and DNA Molecular “coatings”: endless creativity © Motorola/CEA Self-assembled carbon nanotubes on a surface of functionalized silica, connected electronically via gold wires. © CEA be highly practical for many types of manipulation. First it is necessary to “graft” organic molecules onto the nanotube that are capable of clinging to the nanotube's carbon atoms on the one hand, and giving it the required solubility properties on the other. One technique is to render soluble only the semiconductor nanotubes, so they can be sifted out. Once they are in a solution, the nanotubes can be diluted to obtain the desired rate of deposit on a surface. The discovery of the carbon nanotube in 1991 opened up a vast field of study in nanoelectronics. It is a long cylinder made from one or more rolled up sheets of carbon. The diameter of a carbon nanotube varies from a few nanometers for single-sheet tubes to about a hundred nanometers for those made from multiple sheets. What are their benefits? They are easily mass-produced to the point of becoming a commercial product. With a particular geometry, they can be semiconductors. Being much more stable than isolated molecules, they are easy to connect to electrodes. In 1998, the first transistor made with carbon nanotubes appeared. We will now look at some of the stages in the fabrication of nano-objects from carbon nanotubes. CEA NEWS 12 September 2007 © F. Vigouroux/CEA Preparing impermeability tests for nanoparticles in protection equipment (masks and gloves), as part of the European Nanosafe2 project. EVALUATING THE TOXICITY OF NANO-OBJECTS © CEA Several CEA laboratories are participating in national and European programs to evaluate the risks from nanoparticles. How is their impact on health and the environment measured? > TRANSISTOR: component that performs the functions of an amplifier, modulator or interrupter of electrical current. > DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid, an essential component of chromosomes, and the physical carrier of heredity. On a small scale, matter divided into nanoparticles has a larger surface area than ordinary matter. This could exacerbate its toxicity. Furthermore, nanoparticles have a natural tendency to form groups of micrometric size. Before a toxicological study is carried out, it is necessary to know the chemical nature of the particles, their structure and the physical and chemical state of their constituents. Finding out this information requires specialist skills and highly specialized analysis methods. When it comes to studying nanoparticles in suspension in the air, there is a particular problem: how can they be isolated or distinguished from ordinary atmospheric pollution? What effect do they have on animal cells and bacteria? Various teams are trying to assess the toxicity of nano-objects for humans using in vitro animal cell models. The aim is to study the biological effects on the organs they reach following inhalation or ingestion (lungs, liver) or following their passage through the body's natural barriers (kidneys). CEA NEWS 13 September 2007 Two effects are being studied: the toxicity for the whole cell on the one hand and for the genes it contains on the other. Can nanoparticles pass through the cell membrane? Does the cell remain alive? Is its genetic material affected? Researchers are also interested in what happens in the environment to nanoparticles released by the decomposition of consumer products which have components containing them. The first targets to be looked at are bacteria in the ground and water. Are the nanoparticles trapped on the surface of the bacterium? Do they go inside it? If so, what happens to them? Do the bacteria put up any resistance? Toxicity and exposure These toxicological studies do not yet take account of the processes of exposure of cells in the body, which is a more complex environment than in vitro experiments provide. Until the results of the full toxicology study program are available, those working in laboratories are avoiding contact with nanoparticles by using containment methods (air locks, filters, packaging of powders, etc.). NANOSCIENCES 1. Minatec® center was inaugurated in June 2006 2. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) performed on a nanocharacterisation platform 3. Atomic force microscope used for nano and micro component imaging 4. Automatic parametric tester to perform functional characterization on microsystems INTERVIEW Jean-Philippe Bourgoin 5. Holographic and analytical Titan Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) used to characterize materials 6. Wafer to wafer assembly and lithography cluster 7. Micro-traction station to study microsystems 8. Programming the Endura 5500C machine to apply metal coating applications for Microsystems 9. Lithography area for microsystems 1 © CEA of the Physical Sciences Division, director of CEA’s cross-disciplinary Nanosciences program “ORGANIZING WORK AND SKILLS” Why is such a program necessary? It’s a question of making early research in our fields – Information's Technologies, Health and Energy – more visible. It’s also a question of developing our partnerships most notably with CNRS and the universities, of strengthening the sectors in which we excel at fundamental research and of developing their application potential. 2 What fields are covered? In addition to the work already in place on quantum electronics, chemistry for nanoelectronics, separation chemistry or spin electronics and nanomagnetism, new research subjects are emerging. We are interested in the behavior of fluids in fuel cells and biochips and in thermal exchanges in electronic components and refrigerant fluids. Simulation of nano-objects, materials and electronic components is also playing an increasing role, as are particular aspects of nanocharacterization. Finally, in collaboration with crossdisciplinary programs on health technologies and materials, we have grouped and expanded the research launched by CEA since 2001 on the potential risks from nanotechnologies. “ Simulation of nano-objects is also playing an increasing role in health technologies. 3 ” Sophie Astorg – Le journal de Saclay nr 36 – 2007, April CEA NEWS 14 September 2007 4 RESEARCH ON MICRO- AND NANOTECHNOLOGIES HOLDS PROMISE... WITH MINATEC® 5 6 7 8 While Nanosciences are studied in both Saclay and Grenoble, research into Nanotechnology is mainly conducted at the Minatec ® labs in Grenoble. Initiated by CEA-LETI1 and INP2 Grenoble, the Minatec® center was inaugurated in early June 2006. It's an impressive site with 44,000 m2 of new buildings spread over roughly 20 acres of land – becoming a major European innovation and consulting center for micro- and nanotechnologies demands significant investment. “Grenoble's nanoscience and nanotechnology center is an extension of all the programs recently implemented by public authorities for research and its application,” declared François Goulard, Minister Delegate for higher education and research, during his visit to the CEA's Grenoble center on October 31st, 2006. The Minatec® concept is unique in both France and Europe. Why? Because it brings students and teachers as well as researchers and people from industry. Minatec® gives them the chance to exchange ideas and work together at a single location. As a result, “upstream” research is undertaken by scientists in the Physical Sciences Division, whereas “downstream” projects tend to be handled by researchers in the Technological Research Division. Which is in keeping with the race to miniaturize and the era of the infinitely tiny, both well underway. It is imperative to harness the most fundamental properties of matter, push back the limits of current technologies, and map out new technologies within a multidisciplinary framework. Minatec® will focus on major research themes such as microelectronics, nanoscience applied to biology or new materials, and software. No less than 3,500 engineers, researchers, and academics will strive to meet this objective, using the most advanced equipment and technological resources. Nanomaterials have inspired high hopes and should lead to all sorts of products that are both competitive and environmentally friendly. Being more and more efficient means producing on an ever smaller scale, with lower costs and higher performance. We immediately think of cell phones, computers, and so forth, but the realworld applications of this research are far more numerous: in the automotive industry, for healthcare, entertainment, safety, etc. 1. Laboratoire d'électronique et de technologie de l'information (electronics and information technology laboratory). 2.Institut National Polytechnique (engineering school). > For more information: http://www.minatec.com/minatec_uk/index.htm Photos 1-4 & 6-9: © P. Stroppa/CEA Photo 5: © C. Morel/CEA CEA NEWS 15 September 2007 9 WASTE – ADVANCED PARTITIONING SOLUTIONS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE How can © P. Stroppa/CEA radioactive waste be sustainably managed? The CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission) has been carrying out in-depth research under an Act dated December 30, 1991 1. Our report Storage hall in the Saclay center. Each of the 100 shafts is ten meters deep, the highly irradiant drums are transferred to the shafts in a shipping cask and covered with a concrete plug. focuses on the three areas of investigation and TOPICS TO EXPLORE /// Review of 15 years of research /// Partitioning /// 2006: the new law their results. 1. This act, also referred to as the “Bataille Act”, was transposed into the French Environment Code as Article L.542 in September 2000 CEA NEWS 16 September 2007 Research focus 1: Scientific demonstration of partitioning and transmutation (P&T) For the last twenty years or so, the French nuclear industry has been recycling3 95% of its spent nuclear fuel, unburned uranium and plutonium, which is used for producing a new fuel cycle. The remaining 5%, which is waste, is immediately vitrified. Of this waste, the only items covered by the 1991 Act are longlived high-level radioactive elements (0.4% of the spent fuel). Research Focus 1 is looking into a way of separating the most radioactive elements for transmutation. The partitioning research undertaken at the Atalante facility at the CEA Valrhô center (at Marcoule, near Avignon) has demonstrated process feasibility in the laboratory. A high-yield transmutation process, where long-lived radioactive elements are bombarded with neutrons, can be performed in fast breeder reactors, as proven by the tests run in the CEA's Phénix experimental reactor at Marcoule. However, partitioning and transmutation is not industrially feasible before 2040, and will only be used for waste produced after that time. The CNRS (French National Centre for >>> 2. French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management. 3. Spent fuel is processed in Cogema's La Hague plant. 150 The number of extracting molecules tested by researchers during studies into minor actinide partitioning. © CEA n June 2005, ANDRA2 and the CEA each submitted a report to the Ministry of Research reviewing their work on longlived, high level radioactive waste management, to enable the government to propose a bill that includes the solutions put forward for sustainable waste management. Nearly 80% of French electricity is currently produced by nuclear power plants, which ensures energy independence, standing France in good stead given oil price rises and limited fossil fuel supplies, and also ensures low greenhouse gas emissions. When France opted for nuclear power in the 1970s, it immediately started research into waste management. The 1991 Act gave the research a boost and focused on three areas: partitioning and transmutation, geological disposal and conditioning & storage. Research is still ongoing, but a large body of results has already been produced, showing the way to potential solutions. Let's take a look at three research areas that have focused French science on one major issue for a number of years: the sustainable management of radioactive material. Research reactor Phenix is dedicated to waste transmutation © A. Gonin/CEA ATA L A N T E : T H E O N LY F A C I L I T Y O F ITS TYPE IN THE WORLD The Atalante facility at Marcoule hosts highly specialized laboratories for work on improving spent fuel reprocessing procedures. It has been specially designed for studies into the management of long-lived high-level waste (HLW): design and testing of extraction molecules and studies into advanced partitioning processes, design and manufacturing of irradiation targets for transmutation and long term behavioral studies into waste in storage or repositories. The CEA is also developing methods for reprocessing and recycling fuel from the fast neutron energy production systems of the future. This unique facility is staffed by more than 200 people. The commissioning of Atalante was announced by the ASN College (French Nuclear Safety Authority) on June 22, 2007. ASN carried out a safety review at the same time. Special Issue – Les Défis du CEA – 2005, July > TRANSMUTATION: The process of transforming a longlived radioactive element into an element with a shorter half-life or a stable element. CEA NEWS 17 September 2007 © P. Stroppa/CEA I © T. Foulon/CEA Separating actinides: filtering operation in a glove box in the Atalante facility. WASTE – ADVANCED PARTITIONING center should be built between 2020 and 2025. According to the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices, this is a vital option, but one that must be reversible. All nuclear-waste producing countries have selected this as an option. Likewise, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an UN authority recommend deep geological disposal, considering it the safest current option. Scientific Research) is working on another transmutation method, using hybrid nuclear systems. Research focus 2: Towards reversible deep geological disposal ANDRA is working on the second research focus proposed in the 1991 Act. It is looking at ultimate disposal of radioactive waste in deep geological repositories, capable of ensuring long-term containment several hundred meters below the ground. ANDRA (French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management) is studying three rock types – granite, salt and clay. It has set up a field laboratory at Bure, in the Meuse region, that has been operational for several months. If the research is successful and political leaders make the relevant decisions, a geological disposal Research focus 3: Increasingly high-quality storage © P. Dumas/CEA Long-lived high level radioactive waste from spent fuel processing is currently vitrified and stored pending an ultimate solution, to be determined by the Government after a parliamentary debate. Current storage technologies and facilities have been much higher-performing over the last few years, improved through work by the CEA under Research Focus 3. New waste conditioning matrices developed at the CEA Marcoule center have brought gains in terms of performance, reduced volumes and increaseddurability packages. The Parliamentary Office has judged France's currently operational storage facilities, at the Cogema plant at La Hague and the CEA Cadarache center as highly efficient and fit to be safely used for another fifty years. The goal is to have storage facilities with a service life of 100 to 300 years. 1991-2006, a review of 15 years of research into advanced partitioning Under the “Bataille” Act, one of the major focuses in the drive to reduce the quantity and danger of long-lived high-level nuclear waste is to partition some long-lived radionuclides, either to transmute them or to carry out specific conditioning. After the 15 years of research prescribed by lawmakers, Christine Rostaing, “Advanced Partitioning” Project Manager, reviews the progress made in research in this field over the period. Amélie Kroell - Les Défis du CEA Nr 106 2005, August Evolving Vitrification Prototype (AVP) CEA NEWS 18 September 2007 The entire processing and conditioning chain for highlevel radioactive waste was tested in Atalante: glove boxes comprised of a test loop for liquid-liquid extraction processes, a shielded process line on spent fuel and a selection of shielded compartments designed to host confinement matrices (glass, ceramic) and to study the long-term behavior of high-level waste packages; complemented by the shielded process line for experimentation, which confirmed the technical feasibility of advanced partitioning. PARTITIONING BY LIQUIDLIQUID EXTRACTION © P. Stroppa/CEA Most of the partitioning studies have focused on six radionuclides: • the minor actinides (americium Am, curium Cm and neptunium Np) which, after plutonium, are the main contributors to the long-term radio-toxic inventory of spent fuels, • three fission products (iodine I, cesium Cs and technetium Tc) which were selected due to their abundance in spent fuel, the existence of a long-lived isotope and their potential long-term mobility within a geological repository. The procedure used In order to perform minor actinide partitioning, extraction with a solvent was selected as the reference procedure. This is a proven technique in the chemical industry and there is significant data available from operational use of the PUREX process at the La Hague plant over several decades. The strategy therefore consisted of: • firstly, adapting the PUREX process to recover neptunium, technetium and iodine. • secondly, developing complementary solvent-based extraction processes (hence the expression “advanced partitioning”) to separate out americium, curium and cesium from the high-level waste produced by the PUREX process currently vitrified. A target date of 2006 was set and the research was organized into two broad phases, aiming to demonstrate the scientific feasibility (validating the basic concepts of partitioning) by the end of 2001 and the technical feasibility (trials and overall validation of the processes) by 2005. The initial exploration phase was undertaken over a decade, involving wide-ranging cooperative ventures. It consisted of assessing the various extraction systems, chiefly targeting the trickiest stage – separating the actinides from the lanthanides. The second demonstration phase, between 2002 and 2005, focused on the processes deemed the most promising. A three-stage approach It is not easy to recover and separate the minor actinides (americium and curium) within >>> CEA NEWS 19 September 2007 Liquid-liquid extraction is a technique that uses two immiscible liquids, one aqueous phase and one organic phase. The elements to be separated are all dissolved in the aqueous phase and a special molecule, referred to as the “extracting” molecule, is dissolved in the organic phase. The role of this molecule is to capture the elements required for separation within the aqueous phase and to take them with it (extract them) into the organic phase. This molecule needs to be both effective (having a good affinity with the elements to be separated) and selective (affinity only with said elements). One of the major difficulties in designing a liquid-liquid extraction process is selecting this extracting molecule. Special Issue Les défis du CEA - 2005, July > PUREX: Purification by refining extraction. > LANTHANIDES: fission products from the lanthan family, with similar chemical properties to actinides. WASTE – ADVANCED PARTITIONING Review and outlook Since 1991, research into advanced partitioning has enabled procedures to be developed for selectively recovering americium and curium from fission product solutions derived from the PUREX process (99.9% recovery rate, which meets the stated goal). The selected concepts were validated before the end of the first phase of research (end of 2001). During the second phase (2002-2005), the processes were successfully tested. Firstly, the solvent endurance was tested in the irradiation loop. Subsequently the demonstration tests were successfully performed, in April and November 2005 respectively, in the Atalante shielded process cell, a 1/500 replica of the industrial technologies, using approximately 15 kg of EDF fuel. But over and above the scientific results expected within the strict framework of the law, it should also be emphasized that this period was useful for carrying out numerous basic studies, for instance into the extraction and complexation mechanisms of various extraction systems. Doctoral and Post-Doc research contributed greatly, along with national (GdR PRACTIS and PARIS), European (NEWPART, PA RT N E W, C A L I X PA RT, E U R O PA R T, e t c . ) a n d international collaborations (Japan, Russia, USA, etc.). The CEA and the Valrho center have thus acquired new skills (e.g. molecular modeling) and new tools (see insert Future challenges). The program also provided an opportunity to run a project from start to finish, from designing the extraction molecules to testing a process on several kilograms of spent fuel. The work has boosted partitioning chemistry and actinide chemistry enhancing excellence within our teams ready to meet future challenges. Christine Rostaing, “Advanced Partitioning” Project Manager Rive droite Rive Gauche - 2006, May © A. Gonin/CEA high-level waste (HLW). A number of factors make this a complex problem. The very similar chemical properties of the actinides (at oxidation degree III) and the lanthanides (at oxidation degree III), mean they are difficult to separate; in addition, there is a large variety of elements within the solution, which is moreover highly acidic. A three-stage approach is required: • Stage 1: the DIAMEX, which consists of simultaneously extracting the actinides and lanthanides using a molecule from the malonamide family; • Stage 2: the SANEX process, separating out the Am+Cm pair from the lanthanide group; • Stage 3: the Am/Cm partitioning process, using diamides. FUTURE CHALLENGES © A. Gonin/CEA Given the decisions needed in 2006, our significant results opened up a range of possibilities for processing spent fuel in Generation IV reactor-fuel cycle systems that recycle their own waste. The choice was made to transmute actinides in FBRs 1, these studies will need to be continued and adapted, depending on the nature of the actinide compounds selected for recycling. In Atalante, work is already under way in this area, with the parallel development of partitioning and multiple actinide conversion (integrated processing and re-manufacturing concept). The preparation for the demonstration experiment on key processes for this concept (access to the fissile compound; multiple actinide dissolving, extraction and conversion process; forming the fissile compound and re-manufacturing the fuel element), will use a fuel representative of a GFR 2. The research teams will gradually focus their efforts on these new goals, which will also require developments in the Atalante facility. Christine Rostaing, “Advanced Partitioning” Project Manager CEA NEWS 20 September 2007 © P. Stroppa/CEA 1. FBR: Fast Breeder Reactor - 2. GFR: Gas-cooled Fast Reactor Top: Managing waste drums during dismantling operations in the UP1 plant in Marcoule. © P. Dumas/CEA Middle: Shielded compartments for dry processes used to manufacture (crushing, pressing, sintering and cladding) fuels for studies, transmutation targets and confinement matrices. Bottom: Mock-up for long-term storage in the ground below the CECER (Centre of expertise in conditioning and storage of radioactive material). 99% This is the proportion of americium and curium that the selected molecules and the process developed in ATALANTE can partition out of the solution sourced from reprocessed spent fuel. NEW TEAMS FOR ICSM The Marcoule Institute of Separative Chemisty (ICSM), a mixed research unit jointly run by the CNRS (40%), University of Montpellier 2 (20%) and the CEA (40%), is planning on an influx of around a hundred researchers in 2010. In the short term however, the first of these newcomers need to be identified – these will be the first teams to get into the Institute’s new premises at the entrance to the Marcoule site. Non-permanent staff Given staff turnover, 15 new researchers will be selected every year. Three tender processes were run, in September 2004, June and September 2005. In each tender, an innovative and realistic scientific collaboration was proposed, supervised either by the Montpellier Chemistry cluster – the Universities of Montpellier, the Montpellier-based Grande Ecole ENSCM and CEA-ICSM – or by another French university or CNRSrun laboratory. Permanent staff 50 applications were received by the close of the 2006 recruitment campaign. 16 candidates have been interviewed by the Shortlisting Committee and 12 have been selected: 3 from the University of Montpellier 2, 3 from the CNRS and 6 from the CEA (including 3 external recruits). After 4 campaigns, the staff team should be complete. In addition, European collaborations in the Physical Chemistry of Actinides (with the Institute for Transuranic Elements, Karlsruhe) and Sonochemistry (with Max Planck Institute) are being set up to enable researchers to work in mixed ICSM units hosted by foreign laboratories, from Spring 2007. These initiatives should all help bring together the teams and enable them to be immediately operational when the ICSM laboratories open in March 2008. The new law is here The final text1 of the bill to succeed the “Bataille Act” (dating from December 30, 1991) was approved by the National Assembly on June 15, 2006, following its examination by the Senate. This report focuses on “Program Law” no. 2006-739 dated June 28, which is much larger in scope than its predecessor, since it pertains “to the sustainable management of radioactive materials and waste.” In other words it covers all the CEA’s waste-related activities research, management, decommissioning, facility operation and communication. The new law lays down the principle that “sustainable management of radioactive materials and waste of any description (…) is undertaken in compliance with the protection of human health, safety and the environment”, and in Article 3, stipulates that research and study related to long-lived high or intermediate level radioactive waste is to be performed “in three complementary areas”, resulting for the most part from work carried out at Marcoule over the last fifteen years or more. 1. Research and study focusing on partitioning and transmutation of long-lived radioactive elements “are to be undertaken in relation to research carried out into new generations of nuclear reactors (…) and accelerator-driven systems dedicated to waste transmutation”. The stated goal is to be have an appraisal of the “industrial potential of these processes” by 2012 and to “put a prototype facility into operation by December 31, 2020”. 2. With respect to deep geological disposal, a goal has been set for researchers and engineers, to design a reversible repository >>> 1. The Act was signed by the President of the Republic and 8 Government ministers: the Prime Ministers and Ministers of the Interior, Defense, Foreign Affairs, Health, Economy, Finance & Industry, Education & Research and Ecology. Gilles Richard - Rive droite Rive gauche – 2006, November CEA NEWS 21 September 2007 WASTE – ADVANCED PARTITIONING Studying the diffusion of hydrogen through concrete in the top of shell used for the storage/disposal of intermediatelevel, long-lived waste. 300years After this period, 90% of radioactive waste returns to a level of radioactivity comparable with background radiation. This waste is disposed of in existing final repositories managed by ANDRA. © A. Gonin/CEA Laser-welding glove-box for cladding containing pellets of study fuel, transmutation targets and confinement matrices. and to focus on selecting a site. The operating start date has been set for 2025, ten years after filing the permission application, which will be investigated and debated in depth. 3. The same date of 2015 (at the latest) has been set for creating new storage facilities or adapting existing facilities, on the basis of research and study into the issues, in order to “meet the needs, particularly in terms of capacity and duration.” These three research focuses were already known, but a calendar has now been set, and additional details and provisions laid down: • the partitioning and transmutation process is clearly linked to Generation IV systems, • deep geological disposal must be reversible for a duration of “no less than one hundred years”, • the role of ANDRA is broadening, to include, for instance, cleaning up of radioactive contamination sites or coordinating research and study to be carried out (or commissioned) with respect to deep geological disposal and as well as storage, • three new taxes have been created, in addition to the existing tax on Basic Nuclear Installations: they will be used to fund economic development and the roll-out of technology in the areas surrounding the selected disposal site, and research and study into storage and deep geological disposal. The sums allocated to this research and the construction and operation of the corresponding facilities will be paid into funds accounted for separately within ANDRA. A broader scope The new law is much broader in scope than the previous Bataille Act. In particular, it sets in place a research and study program, CEA NEWS 22 September 2007 aimed at commissioning a graphite and radium-bearing waste disposal center by 2013, and provide three “deliverables” by 2008: storage solutions for tritiated waste (until the radioactivity has decayed enough to allow for ground-level or shallow disposal), finalization of disposal solutions for used sealed sources (in existing or new centers) and a long-term impact assessment on uranium mine tailing disposal sites (with a reinforced radiological monitoring plan for these sites). Under the new law, the first ever national radioactive materials and waste management plan is to be put in place by December 31, 2006. This type of plan is to be drawn up every three years by the Government, and assessed by the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices. It will review the existing management methods for radioactive materials and waste, survey the foreseeable requirements for storage or disposal facilities, specify their capacity and duration (in the case of storage) and establish targets to be met (with a calendar), for radioactive waste items that still have no final management method. This plan must comply with three major objectives: 1. reducing the quantity and danger of the radioactive waste, in particular by reprocessing spent fuel and processing and conditioning radioactive waste; in this respect, owners of long>>> Interview Interview PHILIPPE PRADEL “ Major breakthroughs have been achieved in nuclear waste management. lived Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) produced before 2015 must have it conditioned by 2030 at the latest, 2. use specially designed facilities to store radioactive material awaiting reprocessing and ultimate radioactive waste awaiting disposal, 3. use deep geological repositories to dispose of ultimate radioactive waste that cannot be disposed of in ground or shallow repositories, for nuclear safety or radiological protection reasons. Information, assessment and international cooperation Like the preceding law, the new one outlaws the disposal of foreign radioactive waste in France, but specifies the reason for this ban. The law provides for intergovernmental agreements to be published in the Journal Officiel (official gazette), specifying a framework under which foreign fuels may be reprocessed in France, and how long the related waste will remain stored on French soil. Operators running research and reprocessing operations involving foreign radioactive ” substances will have to draw up an annual inventory on this issue, which will be made public, along with the annual report form the National Board for Research Assessment. The board must include “at least one international expert” and its report must “review research carried out abroad”. The same requirements apply to the national radioactive materials and waste management plan. It will have to summarize research and projects carried out outside France. The new law requires wider communication to the general public. One body that could be involved in communication is the High Commission for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety, established under a different law dated June 13, 2006. This new body could organize “periodical consultations and debates on the sustainable management of radioactive materials and waste.” Likewise, a National Board, distinct from the aforementioned research board, will assess operators' funding of decommissioning and radioactive material management expenses. It will also issue a tri-annual report to the general public. Gilles Richard - Rive droite Rive gauche 2006, September CEA NEWS 23 September 2007 What is your appraisal of CEA research over these last fifteen years? The 1991 law brought research projects into the spotlight, some of which were already underway, and encouraged domestic and international cooperation. I would like to emphasize the lively exchanges stemming from the confrontation of scientific ideas among various players in research, industry and operations. The full range of possibilities has been explored with our partners [ed: in France, chiefly ANDRA and the CNRS] and major breakthroughs have been achieved. We now have a panel of solutions, which are actually complementary, and will feed a calm and informed public debate. To give you an example, we have reduced the volume of intermediate level radioactive waste by a factor of 10. Likewise, having demonstrated the scientific feasibility of actinide partitioning [ed: some of the most radioactive elements] and the existing methods for transmuting them in fast reactors, there is potential for further reductions in final waste in the future. What might be the international knock-on effect of the these results? There is now a massive renewal of interest in nuclear power, throughout the world, particularly in Asia [ed: China and India], linked to growing energy needs and the requirement of limiting CO2 emissions. France is one of the technological leaders with its spent fuel reprocessing & recycling processes, but also a leader in institutional terms, with a coherent system and multiple, rigorous, independent control mechanisms. We are being watched by the rest of the world and need to show that reasonable, sustainable solutions for nuclear waste management exist. Japan is building a plant similar to Cogema’s La Hague facility at Rokkasho Mura. The USA and China are now looking at our technological options with interest. Is there a synergy between research into waste management and research into future systems? Yes there is, because research into the nuclear systems of the future involves a goal of sustainable development, which implies reducing releases and waste as much as possible, and recycling to maximize resources. That is why people talk about “systems” these days, a term referring both to reactors and the associated fuel cycle. Within the framework of the Generation IV initiative, drawing together Euratom and 10 other countries, four of the six technological options selected for the nuclear systems to be deployed by 2030 are fast breeder reactors, which will enable these sustainable development goals to be met. France is heavily involved in research on this type of reactor, and already has wideranging expertise. I Interview with Claire Abou Les défis du CEA – No. 106 ©L .G oda rt/C EA © A. Gonin/CEA CEA Director of Nuclear Energy SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS © Collaboration VKS/CEA The dynamics of THE EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD reproduced in the laboratory Over the geological ages, the Earth has undergone several erratic reversals of its magnetic field. The sun’s magnetic field is reversed regularly every 22 years according to its cycle. These magnetic dynamics, which are still shrouded in mystery, play a role in our planet’s exposure to cosmic rays. The joint VKS experiment1 (CEA2, CNRS, the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon3 and the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris4) has, for the very first time, observed magnetic field reversals in laboratory conditions thanks to a highly turbulent flow of liquid sodium. The experiments should help scientists to understand more about cosmic magnetic field reversals. The results are published in Europhysics Letters, Volume 77, March 2007. The Earth’s magnetic field is created by highly disordered movements that churn up the liquid iron core at the center of the Earth. This is known as the “dynamo” effect. One of its most astonishing characteristics, revealed by paleomagnetic research, is that reversal of the magnetic poles is totally random. They remain close to the Earth’s geographic poles and flip between north and south about once every 100,000 years or so, although longer periods have been found between reversals. On average, these reversals last a few thousand years. The cause and timescale of such reversals, together with the geometry of the magnetic field during a reversal, remain the subject of much debate. The consequences may be considerable: during a reversal, the magnetosphere that protects the Earth from solar and cosmic radiation is significantly weakened. Life on Earth, and human life in particular, has survived this kind of situation in the past (the last reversal occurred 700,000 years ago), but a repeat would severely interfere with our modern communications systems (satellites and networks, etc.). The researchers involved in the VKS experiment have shown that the dynamo effect could be reproduced in a laboratory experiment, using a turbulent flow of liquid sodium produced by the counter-rotation of two impellers inside a cylinder5: with the two impellers rotating at the same speed, a stationary magnetic field is spontaneously generated once a certain threshold is exceeded. They have now observed that when the impellers rotate at different speeds, thus adding global rotation similar to that of the planets and stars, the dynamo field may vary over the course of time. Certain regimes have uncannily similar characteristics to the behavior of the Earth’s magnetic field. The field flips from one state of polarity to its opposite for irregular time periods, with the transition from one polarity to the other lasting a very short duration. - The periods during which the field is stable vary in length, but always last longer than reversal time. - Field excursions, periods during which the field decays and then grows again with no polarity change, can also be observed. At other rotation speeds, the magnetic field may periodically be reversed, rotating in space without polarities canceling each other out, as is observed in the case of the sun. These experiments imply that it will now be possible to conduct laboratory studies of phenomena that have intrigued geophysicists and astrophysicists for centuries. Magnetic field (in gauss) measured in the experiment in relation to time (in seconds). The sodium flow is driven by two turbines with counter-rotating impellers rotating at different speeds. Delphine Kaczmarek – 2007, April 1. Von Karman (the physicist after whom the flow was named). Sodium (the fluid used in these experiments). 2. CEA’s Condensed State Physics Department, Physical Sciences Division, team headed by François Daviaud. 3. Physics Laboratory at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, (CNRS, ENS Lyon), team headed by JeanFrançois Pinton. 4. Statistical Physics Laboratory (ENS Paris, CNRS, University of Paris VI and Paris VII), team headed by Stephan Fauve. 5. The VKS experiment took place at CEA/Cadarache, at the Department of Nuclear Technology in the Nuclear Energy Division. The results are presented in an article in Physical Review Letter 98, 044502 (2007). © P. Stroppa/CEA SOITEC-LETI COMPETENCY CENTER Soitec, the world leader in silicon-on-insulator technology, is pooling its skills with those of CEA/LETI* to set up the Nanosmart Center, a world-class center of excellence in advanced materials for the microelectronics industry. Funded by A21, the French agency for industrial innovation, the Nanosmart Center will develop new generations of semiconductor materials for innovative applications, such as high-frequency telecom components and power components for the automotive and audiovisual industries. CEA Technologies No. 83 – November-December 2006 * LETI: Electronics and Information Technology Laboratory. CEA NEWS 24 September 2007 REMOTE RECHARGE FOR YOUR BATTERIES XEDIX: 100 TB OF DATA SCREENED IN JUST A FEW SECONDS Using Xedix, the native XML database developed by the CEA, it takes less than a second to find a document in a 100 Tbyte base. A start-up called Xedix Tera Solutions is being set up to market this unique product that has potential applications in a wide range of areas, including multimedia, research, telecommunications and avionics. © F. Rhodes/CEA be carried out using a conventional browser or a customized interface developed in the language of the user's choice (Java, PHP, etc.). The tool has already been validated on other applications during collaborative work carried out in the System@tic competitiveness cluster. A start-up called Xedix Tera Solutions is being set up to market it. With a product like this, the future looks bright for the budding firm. There are clear signs of interest from many sectors including archiving services and multimedia libraries, the research community (European projects, joint research-industry projects) and the world of scientific and technical information. Xedix Tera Solutions also hopes to arouse the interest of other sectors such as largescale scientific instrument companies (that generate vast amounts of data), telecommunications, and industries that produce great quantities of documentation, like the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. CEA Technologies No. 85 – April 2007 CEA NEWS 25 September 2007 Vahé Ter Minassian - Les Défis du CEA No. 122 – March 2007 1. LITEN: Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials © Artechnique/CEA The CEA is producing for its own requirements an ultra high-performance information management system called Xedix, which it is currently testing on a 100 TB database. A world first. “The archives of the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (French National Audiovisual Institute) only represent 85 to 90 TB of data,” comments Didier Courtaud. “If we were to store all the events of a person's life on a single electronic storage medium, it would take up about 100 GB, in other words, a thousand times less than the total storage capacity of Xedix.” The tests are performed using standard test cases made up of several types of realistic data. They are expected to confirm the good results from earlier tests carried out in 2003 on one TB and in 2005 on ten TB. “We think we'll be able to obtain response times of less than a second for most queries.” An outstanding information storage and indexing system is the key to this performance. The system stores and indexes all data in XML (Extended Markup Language), a descriptive language that is totally independent of desktop software programs and their constant stream of upgrades. Image or video files are stored in the base and listed in XML as metadata describing the subject, shooting date, characters or any other information selected by the database administrator. What's more, the data indexing system is smart. “Unlike conventional search engines, Xedix identifies the tag in which the required character string(s) is(are) located. This means that the query can be made clearer by adding as many criteria as necessary.” Queries can The mini-battery developed by CEA-LITEN1 research teams could make a great difference in the lives of people with certain disabilities. The remotely rechargeable battery, which can be fitted inside the human body with a number of other stand-alone devices, opens the door to a new generation of medical appliances, including muscle stimulators for paralyzed hands or for hearing implants. The long-familiar lithium battery used in pacemakers is capable of supplying electrical power over a period of many years. However, as it cannot be recharged and its lifetime is limited by its size, it can only be used to power devices with very low energy consumption. “Which brings us to the rechargeable, lithium-ion mini-battery we have developed as part of the European Healthy Aims project, in association with our industrial partner, Saft. The battery meets the specifications of implant manufacturers like Cochlear Ltd. and Finetech Medical,” explains Séverine Jouanneau, a researcher at CEA-LITEN. “Lightweight (2 g) and compact (1 cm3), the battery is only 5 mm thick, yet provides maximum energy (50 mAh) and can be recharged daily.” Recharging can be carried out by induction through the skin during the night using a device placed at the patient's bedside. Another advantage is service life – the battery can work for more than ten years at a temperature of 37°C. SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS The HESS observatory team awarded the European Descartes prize for its progress in VERY HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA ASTRONOMY On March 7, 2007, the French-German very high-energy gamma ray observatory received the 2006 Descartes prize. Since the year 2000, this prize has been awarded annually to scientific teams for their transnational research results. It was awarded to the HESS team in recognition of the quality of results concerning the “nonthermal universe” or “violent universe” that opened up a new field of astronomy. The HESS observatory's results have been hailed as a world first in gamma astronomy. The observatory was mainly built by French and German laboratories, later joined by teams > GAMMA RAYS: Like visible light or X-rays, gamma radiation is made up of photons, but at much higher energy levels. Visible light has an energy of around one electron volt (1 eV). X-rays are in the range of one thousand to one million eV. HESS detects very high-energy gamma rays that can reach a million million eV (or 1 tera-electron volt (1 TeV)). There are few of these very highenergy gamma rays. Even for a relatively intense astrophysics source, the flow of gamma photons entering the atmosphere is around one per month per square meter. Telescope Array or CTA, will increase sensitivity tenfold and considerably add to available information sources. Delphine Kaczmarek – 2007, March 1. LLR École polytechnique (IN2P3/CNRS), LPNHE of the Universités Paris VI and VII (IN2P3/CNRS), APC (IN2P3/CNRS/Université Paris 7/CEA), LPTA Université de Montpellier 2 (IN2P3/CNRS), LAPP Annecy le Vieux (IN2P3/CNRS), CESR Toulouse (INSU/CNRS), LAOG Grenoble (INSU/CNRS), LUTH Observatoire de ParisMeudon (INSU/CNRS). 2. DAPNIA, Research laboratory dedicated to the fundamental laws of the Universe in the Physical Sciences Division. ATLAS, ACCELERATING DETECTION The superconducting toroidal magnet of the Atlas experiment has just been started up at the LHC facility1. A 21,000 A current was injected into the eight coils of the magnet to produce its magnetic field2. CEA-DAPNIA scientists, who have been closely involved in the design and construction of Atlas, took this opportunity to check all the magnet operating parameters and performed a successful test on its muon spectrometer. This instrument has already detected cosmic muon tracks bent under the influence of the magnetic field. These results are very encouraging for the research teams, who are now waiting for the LHC – the world's largest proton collider – to be commissioned at the end of the year, when they will be able to record and analyze the first collision data, and answer a number of basic questions in particle physics – such as “does the Higgs boson exist?”. Aude Ganier – Les Défis du CEA n° 121 – February 2007 1. Large Hadron Collider, installed in a tunnel with a circumference of 27 km, built 100 m below the ground at the CERN in Geneva. 2. The Atlas magnet stores 1.1 GJ of magnetic energy, enough to lift the Eiffel Tower about ten meters off the ground. © Cern © ESO/ANTO/UT1 from other European and southern African countries. In France, it brings together CNRS (IN2P3 and INSU)1 and CEA (DAPNIA2) laboratories. HESS (High Energy Stereoscopic System) is the name given to four telescopes installed on the Gamsberg plateau in Namibia. HESS is primarily dedicated to observing the southern skies that give access to most of the Milky Way. HESS provides precious information about some of the Universe’s most violent phenomena by detecting very high-energy gamma rays, using the light flashes they produce as they interact with the Earth's atmosphere (“Cherenkov effect”). The HESS experiment will soon be enhanced by the installation of a very large telescope - 28 meters in diameter - at the center of the existing array of four instruments. This new phase of the experiment will not only enhance sensitivity but also overlap with the energy range covered by NASA's gamma astronomy satellite, GLAST, which should be launched in 2007. The project, called Cherenkov CEA NEWS 26 September 2007 FIRST COMPLETE SIMULATION OF PET IMAGING SCAN OF THE WHOLE HUMAN BODY Interpreting data from positron emission tomography (PET) - medical imaging scanning increasingly used in hospitals - is still a complex task. With a view to optimizing its analysis and extracting the most relevant physiological information, researchers are working on computer simulation programs to enhance PET techniques. The programs are currently held back by computing time limitations. conducted a simulation on the Tera 10 supercomputer. After modeling the patient's body, using data from an actual scan, researchers simulated the injection of a tracer by selecting a realistic activity of 264 megabecquerels (MBq) and an acquisition time similar to that required for a standard PET scan. This initial simulation required less than three hours' computing time using 7,000 processors. The subsequent comparison of the actual scan and its simulation showed almost identical tracer distribution. From a quantitative point of view, comparisons of the volume of a tumor located under the patient’s left axilla indicated a difference of 6%, which is considered very low for an initial simulation. This result represents a first decisive step towards the development of methods that could be used to correct actual data from PET scans and, in the long term, target the creation of a patient specification for PET acquisition © CEA This problem spurred CEA-SHFJ1 (Service hospitalier Frédéric Joliot in Orsay near Paris) to set up the GATE2 simulation platform, which models PET scans using the Tera 10 supercomputer located at the CEA's DAM-Ile-de-France3 centre in Bruyères-le-Châtel near Paris. The ensuing simulation made it possible to reproduce - in an entirely realistic manner and in a very short time - the distribution of a tracer used in PET for diagnosing cancer. This first simulation result means that, in the medium term, a more precise use of data provided by the images can be envisaged as well as personalized scans for patients. These simulations are carried out using the Monte-Carlo method, based on probability theories. The analysis is hindered, however, by the limitations of digital processing: for a standard PET scan of the whole human body, a MonteCarlo simulation must process the emission of several billion positrons and gamma photons, which is the equivalent of 10,000 computing hours, or 400 days of analysis on a standard PC. To reduce this computing time, researchers See the comparison of images obtained below: • Left: PET image of an actual ‘whole body’ scan • Right: the result obtained through simulation on Tera 10 protocols and analysis. It also shows the benefits of intensive computing in the life science field. Stéphane Laveissière – 2007, April 1. The SHFJ is one of the 4 research platforms of the French Institute for BioMedical Imaging (CEA-I2BM). The others are NeuroSpin (Saclay), MIRCen (Fontenay-aux-Roses) and C-INAPS (Caen). 2. GATE: Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission – Geant4 is an international simulation program developed at CERN (Switzerland). 3. DAM: Military Applications Division. THE PIANIST'S FLOWING TOUCH © P. Stroppa/CEA Music lovers everywhere expect a digital piano to provide a perfect reproduction of the touch offered by a grand piano. But high-fidelity reproduction calls for perfect control of parameters such as the mechanism's resolution and bandwidth. CEA/LIST* took up this challenge by joining forces with the Ecole Polytechnique's Solid Mechanics Laboratory to develop a new sensory interface technology based on the use of magnetorheological or MR fluids. These fluids, made up of microscopic metal particles suspended in a liquid solvent, change viscosity under the influence of a magnetic field. The degree of change is proportional to the intensity of the applied field, making it possible to simulate the “perfect” touch, using a real-time control system and a dynamic model of traditional keys. The CEA NEWS 27 September 2007 demonstrator developed by CEA/LIST has not only lived up to expectations. It also offers something extra – low cost! This makes it compatible with industrial production of keyboards integrating the new keys. Other potential applications include sensory interfaces and the design of new types of brakes and active dampers for motor vehicles. Sylvie Guigon – Atouts Bio Nr 4 – 2007, March * LIST : Laboratory for Integration of Systems and Technologies. > RHEOLOGY: Branch of mechanics concerned with the study of flows in liquids and related deformation phenomena. SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS SCHIZOPHRENIA © CEA/Inserm-GBF Since they created the first “model” schizophrenic mouse in 2002, pharmacologists from the CEA and INSERM have been making one discovery after another, the reward! The reward being an alternative to existing schizophrenia therapies. They observed an improvement in the animal's behavior after administering the epithilone D molecule, an anticancer drug. In their efforts to find a remedy, they focused on neurons rather than the neurotransmitters involved in the disease and currently treated by antipsychotic drugs. In 2002, researchers found a link between schizophrenia and cell microtubules for the first time ever. They observed behavior disorders in the animal if they deactivated Compared with those of a normal mouse (A), the microtubules (shown in green) of the neurons of a schizophrenic mouse are not stable (B) at 4 °C, except when epothilone D is present (C). the expression of a protein involved in microtubule function. These disorders were reflected in a lack of social interaction or maternal feeling, hyperlocomotion or spatial memory problems. In order to treat this schizophrenia, they turned to molecules used in cancer treatment that are capable of stabilizing microtubules. They opted for epothilone D, one of the few molecules that can penetrate the brain. Administered at very low doses to prevent its blocking action on cells (a trait common to all anticancer drugs), it proved highly effective in restoring synaptic functions with no adverse side effects. This molecule has now been patented and will soon be studied in humans. Aude Ganier - Les Défis du CEA No. 122 – March 2007 > NEUROTRANSMITTERS: Molecules that transmit information from one neuron to another during connections known as synapses. > MICROTUBULES: Fibers along which various components are routed from one point of the neuron to another. Between ten and three million years ago, the tropical rain forests of East Africa gradually gave way to savannah. What brought about such a radical change in the environment? Until recently, paleoclimatologists thought the cause was twofold: a drop in the CO2 level in the air and cooler surface water in the Indian Ocean. Today, a French team1, including researchers from LSCE (Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences), a joint CEA/CNRS/UVSQ laboratory2, has discovered a third factor explaining this change3: the upthrust of the East African Rift System. This extraordinary geological structure saw a renewal in its activity 12 million years ago. In response to tectonic activity, the Earth's crust was raised before collapsing in the center to create a 6,000 km long valley, bordered by hills, plateaus and mountains ranging from 2,000 m to 5,000 m in height. A phenomenon on such a scale as this must have had an impact on the climate but this impact on the climate, but had never been quantified. “ Transport of moisture from east to west or vice versa depending on the latitude and season. ” Turning the problem round LSCE climatologists therefore teamed up with paleontologists and geologists4 to simulate the possible impact of the emergence of the East African Rift. “In fact, we turned the problem round,” says Pierre Sepulchre, a member of the LSCE climate modeling team. “We asked ourselves what would happen if the Rift didn't exist? We used the climate model developed by the Dynamic Meteorology Laboratory to perform two digital simulations. The first considered geological structures only 2,000 m high and the second at areas with no relief.” The result left no room for doubt: the flatter the region, the higher the precipitation. Compared with today's figures, the average annual rainfall rose by 15%for the first simulation and by 40% for the second, “The lack of relief allows the Indian monsoon to progress farther into the continent in winter and causes a moistureladen zonal flow between southern Sudan and Ethiopia in summer,” explains Pierre CEA NEWS 28 September 2007 © CEA ANTICANCER DRUGS TACKLE A CLIMATIC UPHEAVAL BROUGHT TO LIGHT The emergency of the Rift contributed significantly to the desiccation of East Africa, as can be seen in these simulations of changes in moisture transport. Sepulchre. This humidity results in heavy rainfall that favors the development of forests, as illustrated by vegetation models based on climatic simulation. This goes to show that the emergence of the East African Rift really is a key factor in the desiccation observed in East Africa during this period. Fabrice Demarthon Les Défis du CEA No. 121 – February 2007 1. Paris Earth Physics Institute, European Institute of the Sea in Brest, Human Paleontology Laboratory of the University of Poitiers, LSCE. 2. University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin. 3. Science, vol. 313, 08.11.06, P. Sepulchre et al.; research funded by the CNRS Eclipse multidisciplinary program. 4. From the University of Poitiers, the Paris Earth Physics Institute and the European Institute of the Sea. SUPERDOPED SILICON: Superconducting silicon capable of conducting electricity without the slightest resistance? Microelectronics specialists would think it quite a paradox! Because that's exactly the material they use for its intrinsic semiconducting powers to control the intensity and direction of electric current. Yet a CNRS1/CEA2/University3 collaboration has come up with these results using silicon that has undergone chemical treatment at ambient pressure. As its superconductivity is only apparent at very low temperatures (- 272.8 °C)4, its use should be restricted to fundamental research laboratories, for testing theories on nanostructure superconductivity, for example. This result is still quite a performance! “In the 1980s, researchers managed to make silicon a superconducting material by subjecting it to tremendous compression, but its crystalline structure was changed in the process,” recalls CEA researcher Christophe Marcenat. So he and his colleagues opted for a chemical process in which silicon was “doped” through the gradual addition of boron, gradually increasing its conducting power. Until then, this process had always come up against the inability of silicon to absorb large amounts of boron. “To get round this problem, we used laser pulses to heat a silicon film in an atmosphere of gas containing boron,” explains Etienne Busterrret, a CNRS researcher. “These pulses also force boron atoms inside the molten material where they bind during recrystallization.” So superconductive doped silicon isn't such a paradox after all! Claire Abou - Les Défis du CEA No. 121 – February 2007 © J. Boulmer/CNRS AN EXCELLENT CONDUCTOR Adjusting the laser beam used to obtain silicon samples with more boron doping than that obtained through the usual silicon microelectronics methods. > SEMICONDUCTIVITY: Intermediate electrical conductivity between that of metals and insulators. 1. Laboratory for the Study of the Electronic Properties of Solids, Grenoble. 2. Condensed Matter Fundamental Research Department, Grenoble. 3. Condensed Matter and Nanostructure Physics Laboratory, University of Lyon 1 and CNRS; Basic Electronics Institute, University of ParisSud and CNRS. 4. Today's superconducting materials operate within the –273 °C to –140°C temperature range. 200 MM MICROSYSTEMS LINE SEEKS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS CEA/LETI has invested in a 200 mm R&D line dedicated to industrial partnerships in the microsystems field for development, prototyping and preproduction. It’s the ideal solution for creating new products faster and at lower cost without investing too soon. © P. Stroppa/CEA 1,000 square meters of clean rooms, specific equipment worth €20 million available 24/7, teams of researchers and technicians boasting 20 years of experience in microsystems. That, in a nutshell, is what LETI is offering industrial firms in Grenoble wishing to develop components on 200 mm silicon wafers. “The microsystems industry is still very customized,” observes Bruno Mourey, in charge of the project at LETI. Everyone creates their own line (aboveIC or stand-alone) for niche markets at the cost of heavy investment and long development times.“The aim, therefore, is to use LETI resources and expertise to work faster and at a lower cost.” The solution is based on the 200 mm format, which is not only tomorrow's microsystems standard, but also and above all, the current standard on a vast number of microelectronic production lines. Collaboration projects lasting two to four years will be proposed to people in industry. This is the time it takes to develop lines (or set of processes), build prototypes, carry out preproduction runs and, if the partners wish, transfer the technology to their own production site. The platform is intended for two types of partners. First, silicon founders seeking new markets for their 200 mm facilities. Second, manufacturers or end users, who see the microsystem as an opportunity for differentiation and innovation and who need development work to be treated confidentially. In all, LETI plans on working with six to ten companies keen to invest in mass markets in various sectors, such as mobile telephony, consumer products, motor vehicles or industrial electronics. It will operate the equipment alone to ensure that there are no “leaks” between projects and will allow each partner access to its line. It is the only line dedicated to 200 mm microsystems in Europe. Platform users will also have access to LETI's microelectronics R&D resources as well as its other areas of expertise – characterization, design, testing and materials – grouped together at the Minatec cluster. CEA NEWS 29 September 2007 CEA Technologies No. 83 – December 2006 Annual Report CEA 2006 (french or english version) SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS For the first time since the Atelier de Restauration (Restoration Workshop) was created in 1970, the Nucleart Method – resin impregnation and gamma irradiation – has been used abroad. mentioned back in 2002.” Although the INAH is a major preservation and restoration center employing some one hundred people, including forty restorers, it has quite modest technical resources. The next thing to do was to prepare the mission. Using Khôi Tran's diagrams and photos, Alejandra was able to have alterations made to a 40 l pressure cooker made in America. Other adjustments had to be made to the vacuum pump, pressure gauges, nitrogen cylinder, tubes and fittings, irradiation parameters, resin formulation – even the power supply voltage (110 V in Mexico). “But even after six months of preparation, there were always surprises in store, like the purple color of the impregnating resin.” The irradiation treatment lasted 48 hours. The consolidation of the sculpture was satisfactory and the polychrome resisted well, thereby minimizing the risk of damage during exhibitions. “We demonstrated that Nucleart technology can be transferred, especially to emerging countries,” stresses Khôi Tran. The process is of particular interest in tropical countries, where objects densified by Nucleart will put up better resistance to extreme variations in climate. For the past year, Vietnamese archeologists have called on ARC-Nucleart to preserve waterlogged, wooden, archeological objects on site. © DR “This Maya sculpture, discovered on the site of Becan in Yucatan, is a unique archeological object. It has also been declared a national treasure, so there was no question of it leaving the country,” explains Alejandra Alonso, a restoration specialist at the INAH, the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History. The Nucleart Method, developed at the CEA center in Grenoble, was chosen for the renovation work. “It seemed the most effective way of halting any further damage to this statuette, a dwarf only 20 cm tall, whose body had suffered considerable deterioration, with the wood flaking away at the slightest touch.” It was therefore decided that the first week of the mission1 would be given over to treatment, with the second week set aside for three conferences on preservation and restoration processes for dry and waterlogged wooden objects. The Mayan statuette was first impregnated with liquid styrene-polyester resin. It was then packed in a special container and taken under police escort to the industrial irradiator located at the heart of the National Institute for Nuclear Investigation, 40 km outside Mexico City. This gamma irradiator induces radioactive polymerization which hardens the resin in the wood. Khôi Tran, an ARC-Nucleart chemical engineer, is working on something of a special agent's mission. “Alejandra Alonso Olvera called me at the beginning of 2006, asking me to come to Mexico City to restore a dry, wooden sculpture from the Maya period. This had first been Marc Jary – Le mensuel de Grenoble – October 2006 1. The mission is fully funded by the Mexican authorities. Restoration at work Organized every year by the CEA and the Association of French Mayors, the “Save the Heritage” competition offers the five award-winning towns the chance to have their works of art treated and restored by the ARC-Nucleart Laboratory at the CEA center in Grenoble. Les Défis du CEA No. 122 - March 2007 CEA NEWS 30 September 2007 France-China Symposium on Nuclear Energy Regulations, Codes, Standards and Qualification © CEA ARC-NUCLEART IN THE LAND OF THE MAYAS Rostrum during the Vice-Minister's speech. From left to right: the Vice-Minister, Cyril Pinel of the ASN, the French Ambassador to China, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chinese nuclear safety authority. The CEA and the Chinese Safety Authority held the first “France-China Symposium on Nuclear Energy Regulations, Codes, Standards and Qualification” in Beijing on June 4-6, 2007. China has recently decided to speed up the development of its nuclear program (10 reactors in service and 17 at various stages of testing, construction and licensing); a number of players will be involved: government authorities and regulators, utilities, design institutes and industry. France has completed a highly successful program. One of the keys to success is the implementation of a comprehensive set of regulations, codes and standards addressing such subjects as supplier qualification, equipment certification, on-site inspection, etc. The symposium provided an opportunity to compare current French and Chinese regulations and allowed government agencies, utilities, design institutes and people from industry to share their experience. Some 300 people took part (including more than 200 Chinese). There were contributions from various representatives of French industry and the IRSN and some Chinese institutes. The Symposium was chaired by Mr. LI Ganjie – Vice-Minister of SEPA, Administrator of NNSA and Mr. André-Claude Lacoste – President of the ASN. Using hydrogen to produce energy – a traveling exhibition The depletion of petroleum resources is forcing us to consider other options, especially renewable energy sources. Among the possibilities, hydrogen offers numerous advantages. It can be easily (french and english version. Russian version available on line http://www-pmg8.cea.fr) > These brochures are available upon request in paper format or on line : EXHIBITIONS www.cea.fr Transducers 07 ICAPP 2007 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants - “Nuclear Renaissance at Work.” - May 1318, 2007 • Nice Acropolis, France The CEA participated in the 2007 ICAPP international conference on progress in nuclear power plants, covering design, construction, operation, and maintenance. This professional gathering brought together the most important international stakeholders in the electronuclear industry around the theme of “nuclear renaissance”. It was an occasion for the Nuclear Energy Division of the CEA to present its research and development milestones in several areas and to co-chair the plenary session dedicated to nuclear systems of the future. The papers presented by the CEA addressed the following areas: • Research to optimize existing industrial nuclear facilities and development of third-generation systems (optimization of fuels and plant life spans, better procedures for spent fuel processing, advanced methods of computer simulation, etc.) • The CEA's commitment to the nuclear systems of the future (strategy and planning for sodiumcooled fast reactors, materials and fuel Following the conference, the participants toured the CEA's Marcoule and Cadarache centers.They visited certain advanced facilities for nuclear research, such as Atalante, a large laboratory dedicated to actinide chemistry, and Tore Supra, a tokamak for fusion energy studies. The 20th World Energy Congress & Exhibition is promoted by the World Energy Council (WEC*) TRANSDUCERS 07 was held in Lyon, France, 2007, June 10-14 This is the most authoritative international energy meeting, to be held in Rome in the new “Nuova Fiera” venue, November 11-15, 2007. Excellent speakers and thousands of participants will come from all over the world. Besides the World Energy Council Members, the Congress will welcome exhibitors from both energy producing and consuming countries, institutions, international organizations and energy industry representatives, researchers and experts from all over the world, and all those who are interested in energy and development issues. During the four-day meeting, participants will have the chance to visit an interesting and important exhibition covering 20,000 m2 at the “Nuova Fiera”. Companies will have a great opportunity to present their products and technological innovations for the energy industry to an international and distinguished audience. Visiatome The Visiatome is located in Southern France in Marcoule, not far from Nîmes. This scientific cultural center was created to inform the public and answer questions related to radioactivity and its applications, the various sources of energy, radioactive waste management, and the nuclear industry in general. © C. Dupont/CEA produced from any primary energy source (solar, wind, nuclear, etc.) and used in a “fuel cell” to generate high yields of electricity and heat, with water as its only waste product! To raise awareness about this important technology, the Palais de la Découverte, a science museum in Paris, has created a traveling exhibition (first stop in Berlin at the Technikmuseum, from May 24th to July 24th, 2007, then on to the Visiatome before the end of the year). The exhibition covers all the steps studied at the CEA: production of electricity using photovoltaic panels, production of hydrogen by electrolysis, storage and retrieval of electrical energy using fuel cells. To illustrate how the research works, the exhibition uses prototypes and laboratory equipment, including the Genepac fuel cell, metal plates, graphite plates and membranes, along with an educational pack about fuel cells. As part of its renovation project, the Palais de la Découverte will present a stationary version of this exhibition in Paris. TRANSDUCERS has grown into the largest multidisciplinary conference on microsensors, microactuators, and microsystems, with typically 900 attendees from government and industry who gather every two years to share information on the latest advances in the field. This year, the technical program consisted of parallel oral sessions and poster presentations. Invited speakers (including researchers from LETI, the CEA laboratory of electronics and information technology) gave insightful overviews on key topics during the plenary session and throughout the conference, which also included short courses and exhibitions. The 600-m2 site offers fun, interactive exhibitions addressing all these questions. Educational sessions are available to school groups, and scientific activities are offered Wednesday afternoons, Sundays, and during school vacations. © CEA © CEA innovations, and new options for the back end of the fuel cycle and waste management) Finally, this conference allowed several major nuclear actors abroad (USA, Japan, Russia, China, South Korea, etc.) to share their vision of the nuclear renaissance. © P. Stroppa/CEA G8 Global Partnership Activity report 2004-2005-2006 *With several Member Committees in over 90 countries, WEC aims to monitor the status of the energy industry and find solutions fostering the economic development of both industrialized and developing countries. It also promotes the sustainable supply and usage of energy for the greatest benefit of all people. CEA NEWS 31 September 2007 > Practical info Visiatome - CEA Marcoule - BP 64172 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze cedex www.visiatome.fr To learn more: Tel: +33 (0)4 66 39 78 78 contact.info@visiatome.com Reservations: Tel: +33 (0)4 66 39 78 78 Fax: +33 (0)4 66 39 78 30 reservation@visiatome.com CEA EMBASSY COUNSELOR NETWORK BERLIN Jean-Marc CAPDEVILA jean-marc.capdevila@diplomatie.gouv.fr HELSINKI Claude SAINTE-CATHERINE claude.sainte-catherine@cea.fr BUDAPEST Gérard COGNET gerard.cognet@cea.fr MOSCOU Denis FLORY nucleaire.moscou@diplomatie.gouv.fr LONDRES Alain REGENT alain.regent@cea.fr NEW-DELHI Hugues de LONGEVIALLE hugues.de-longevialle@cea.fr WASHINGTON Jacques FIGUET nuclear.counselor@ambafrance-us.org SEOUL Jean-Yves DOYEN energykorea@kornet.net BRUSSELS - EU Guillaume GILLET guillaume.gillet@diplomatie.gouv.fr TOKYO Pierre-Yves Cordier pierre-yves.cordier@cea.fr PARIS CEA Headquarters ceanews.contact@cea.fr VIENNA - AIEA Marc-Gérard ALBERT marc-gerard.albert@diplomatie.gouv.fr BEIJING Alain TOURNYOL du CLOS servnucpekin@yahoo.com w w w. c e a . f r More information: ceanews.contact@cea.fr