Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
2026-41333
Development of a neutron imaging simulation code applied to non-destructive testing
The CEA-List (DRT) develops the CIVA software platform, a reference tool for simulating non-destructive testing (NDT) processes. In the context of transmission X-ray radiography, the main physical phenomena are predicted using a Monte Carlo method, which involves tracking particles through matter based on the deviations they undergo during each interaction. X-ray imaging relies on the contrast created by differences in attenuation between the elements composing the object.
Since neutron attenuation primarily results from interactions with atomic nuclei, the underlying physics is fundamentally different from that of X-rays. Neutron imaging thus plays a highly complementary role to X-ray imaging, offering greater sensitivity to low-attenuation elements. While neutron imaging is not yet widely adopted in industry, numerous use cases exist, some of which are critical for industrial sovereignty.
The CEA aims to develop numerical tools for neutron imaging applied to NDT, with a long-term ambition to support the establishment of an associated experimental platform.
This work is part of a Cross-Functional Competency Project (Projet Transverse de Compétences), which aims to pool developments across various CEA divisions, including: DRT (Technological Research Division, to which LIST belongs), DES (Energy Division), DRF (Fundamental Research Division).
Additionally, an internship focused on benchmarking numerical codes for neutron imaging will take place concurrently at the DRT, providing opportunities for technical exchanges.
The selected candidate will contribute to three main tasks:
1/ Development of a neutron imaging model for attenuation, from source generation to the detection system, for both thermal and fast neutrons.
2/ Implementation of neutron scattering using a Monte Carlo approach in collaboration with the DES, to account for signals from scattering.
3/ Experimental validation, using existing data acquired by the DRF and new acquisitions on large-scale instruments.
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