CEA-Cesta or simply Cesta (; ) is a research facility that is part of the (DAM) of the
French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), dedicated to the design of
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
s.
The center was established in 1965 on the ''
commune'' of
Le Barp between
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
and
Arcachon.
The center hosts the
Megajoule laser (LMJ), which should enable French nuclear scientists to validate models of nuclear explosion without having to conduct
nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of Nuclear explosion, their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to si ...
. The LMJ is the French equivalent of the
National Ignition Facility.
External links
Page of the center on the CEA's Direction of Military Applications website
French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission
Government agencies of France
Nuclear weapons program of France
Military research installations
1965 establishments in France
*
Research and development organizations
Military research of France
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