Laser-driven high-brilliance sources offer new perspectives in terms of compact material probing, even of dense objects, or in imaging of high speed events, with better than picosecond resolution. We are currently working on pushing the capabilities of a dual (neutron and x-ray) interrogation method, based on ultra-intense lasers irradiating solid targets. The “white” (i.e. broadband) neutron beams allow element analysis, while the high-resolution X-rays allow for density analysis. Such laser-driven probing could bring a radical change in the nuclear waste or cargo content analysis with: (1) much higher spatial resolution of the X-ray radiograph, (2) much lower radiological risk, and (3) speed for analysis.

Our recent work in the area of characterizing high-brightness neutron beams can be found in “Enhanced Energy, Conversion Efficiency and Collimation of Protons Driven by High-Contrast and Ultrashort Laser Pulses”, “A Comprehensive Characterization of the Neutron Fields Produced by the Apollon Petawatt Laser”, and “Characterization and performance of the Apollon main short-pulse laser beam following its commissioning at 2 PW level”. We have also recently performed the first characterization of high-brightness X-ray beams produced by PW-scale lasers, presented in “Simultaneous PW-scale laser driven MeV X-ray and neutron beam characterization for dual radiography capability“