Le télescope à muons : de la pyramide de Kheops au démantèlement nucléaire
μ子望远镜技术正从考古领域走向核工业应用。这种非侵入式探测技术利用宇宙射线产生的μ子穿透大型结构，通过分析粒子轨迹变化重建内部三维图像。
法国原子能与替代能源委员会（CEA）已成为该技术在核设施退役领域的先驱。此前，研究人员已成功运用该技术扫描埃及胡夫金字塔，发现了内部未知空间。如今，CEA正将这一技术应用于核反应堆内部结构的远程探测，为复杂核设施的精准拆除提供关键数据支撑。
该技术的优势在于无需接触或破坏目标结构，即可实现深层成像。对于已停运的核反应堆，传统检测方法往往面临辐射高、空间受限等挑战，而μ子探测可在安全距离外持续监测内部构件状态，包括燃料残留物位置和结构完整性变化。
CEA团队通过布设μ子望远镜阵列，已实现对实验反应堆内部组件的厘米级分辨率成像。这项突破不仅提升了核设施退役的安全性，还将大幅缩短作业周期、降低人力成本。未来该技术有望推广至其他工业检测领域，成为大型基础设施无损检测的重要工具。
Muon Telescopes: From Ancient Pyramids to Nuclear Decommissioning
Researchers can now probe the interior of large structures—from ancient pyramids to nuclear reactors—remotely and non-invasively using muon telescopes. This technique relies on detecting muons, subatomic particles produced when cosmic rays interact with Earth’s atmosphere, which penetrate matter deeply. By measuring how muons are absorbed or deflected, scientists can create detailed internal maps without physical intrusion.
The approach gained prominence through projects like the ScanPyramids mission, which revealed hidden chambers in Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Khufu. Now, France’s Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) is pioneering its application in nuclear decommissioning. The CEA uses muon tomography to inspect decommissioned reactors, such as those at the Marcoule site, assessing internal structures like fuel rods and debris without direct access—a critical advantage in radioactive environments.
This technology provides precise, real-time data on reactor core conditions, streamlining dismantling plans, enhancing safety, and reducing costs. As nuclear facilities worldwide age, muon telescopes offer a powerful tool for safer, more efficient decommissioning, bridging archaeology and advanced industrial challenges.
Grâce au télescope à muons, les chercheurs sont désormais capables de sonder l’intérieur d’une structure qu’il s’agisse d’une pyramide ou plus récemment d’un réacteur nucléaire, à distance et de manière non invasive. Le CEA est pionnier dans l’utilisation de cette technique pour le démantèlement nucléaire.
Muon tomography now lets researchers inspect the inside of large structures non-invasively, and the CEA is using it to support nuclear decommissioning.
CEA — French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, based in France; pioneer in applying muon imaging to nuclear dismantling.
[Monitor] — Relevant for nuclear safety and advanced inspection, but niche outside energy and research.