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Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/30888376
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Record Id 30888376
Title Probing our heritage with neutrons — one successful story
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Abstract Probing our heritage reminds us of a variety of issues in Heritage Science: from the correct determination of historical and cultural time-frame of artefacts, to their location and method of production, to the choice of best treatments and environmental conditions for their restoration. A large variety of chemical, physical and microstructural techniques are employed by Museums and art experts to characterize objects of cultural significance. Most of these methods are invasive and probes like X-rays and charged particles have limited penetration power. Neutrons penetrate thick layers, depending on their energy, without substantial attenuation, a quality which makes them ideal to study and visualize the interior (bulk) properties of materials in a totally non-destructive and non-invasive way. The high sensitivity to specific light elements (e.g. H) is an additional special property of the neutron probe. Neutron techniques are increasingly used for the quantitative, non-invasive analysis of many aspects of cultural heritage preservation in a broad sense: museum collections, artefacts, books, manuscripts, musical instruments, archaeological findings.
Organisation ISIS , ISIS-ENGIN-X , STFC
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Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Book Chapter or Section In Neutron Methods for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. Edited by N Kardjilov, G Festa, part 1, 3-18. Springer, 2016. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-33163-8_1 2016