CEA-CESTA

Company information :
Established on a 700 hectares area near Bordeaux, the CEA center for scientific and technical studies in Aquitania (CESTA) employs more than 1000 people.
CESTA is in charge of the French nuclear warheads design and demonstrates their operational performances. This demonstration is given through a testing/modeling twin-track approach implementing a lot of test facilities, physical modeling and supercomputers.
CESTA hosts the Laser Mégajoule LMJ which is the largest laser facility in Europe. This uses 176 high-energy laser pulses which allow heating the matter till the extreme conditions encountered in the functioning of nuclear weapons or within stars. Inside the LMF facility operates an extra ultra-short powerful laser called PETAL (Petawatt Aquitaine laser) which is funded by CEA, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, French state and European Union. PETAL is dedicated to the civilian scientific community.