The muography, a novel method to study volcanoes from far away

Orateur : Prof. Cristina CARLOGANU (LPC/IN2 P3/CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France)

Since 1895 when Rontgen saw by chance a X-ray image created by his X-ray generator, the imaging has invaded our lives. From dentists to neurologists looking into the workings of the brain, from producers of tiny electronics chips to the seismologists studying the Earth structure, knowledge is acquired and decisions are taken using the imaging. Be it bi-dimmensional (the so called radiography) or three-dimmensional (CT-imaging or tomography). Obviously, the radiations used to probe the different structures and the experimental techniques are numerous and their number keeps growing. One of the natural radiations, the atmospheric muons, is particularly well suited to the study of dense and extended (km scale) structures. Its application to volcano imaging, a major source of natural hazards, showed some important break-throughs lately. What additional information can the muography provide compared with the other imaging techniques used in volcanology ? Will the muography be the trigger for evolving from an qualitative understanding to quantitative predictions in the case of these complex objects that are the active volcanoes ? Will we be able in the future to predict eruptions or at least their degree of danger in order to reduce hazards ? The seminar will try to highlight these general questions even when no answers are available yet, as they were aprehended by a particle physicist working since 2011 on the imaging of Puy de Dome with atmospheric muons, within the TOMUVOL collaboration. The technical complications induced by the muon detection in situ will be presented, as well as the very first results on the volcano structure. These promising results modified already our understanding of its evolution.

Télécharger dans mon agenda