X-ray methods

in Edwards, H; Vandenabeele, P (Eds.) Analytical Archaeometry: Selected Topics (2012)

Elemental 2D imaging of paintings with a mobile EDXRF system

in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2011), 399(9), 3109-3116

Imaging techniques are now used commonly and intensively in cultural heritage object analysis. Nowadays, many different techniques in nature as well as many applications exist, where they can be applied ... [more ▼]

Imaging techniques are now used commonly and intensively in cultural heritage object analysis. Nowadays, many different techniques in nature as well as many applications exist, where they can be applied. X-ray radiography and infrared reflectography as well as UV photography are some of the most applied techniques. The study of works of art usually requires these techniques to be non-invasive. Furthermore, they are frequently required to perform in situ analysis. A few years ago, our laboratory developed a mobile energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and UV-vis-NIR coupled spectrometer, especially designed for fieldwork studies, where all three techniques can be applied strictly at the same site of analysis. Recent developments on a new positioning system have now allowed us to perform 2D elemental mappings with our equipment, which is especially well adapted to painting analysis. The system control is carried out entirely through a laptop computer running a dedicated homemade software. The positioning is achieved by means of a CCD camera embedded in the system and controlled via a Wi-Fi connection through the computer. The data acquisition system, which is made through a homemade multichannel pulse height analyzer, being also managed via the software mentioned above, goes through an Ethernet connection. We will present here the new developments of the system and an example of in situ 2D elemental mapping applied on an anonymous oil painting on wood panel. The discovery of a hidden painting under this oil painting makes it a good choice for a first example of 2D large scan with a mobile instrument. © Springer-Verlag 2010. [less ▲]

Non-destructive analysis of a Belgian Tratatum of the 17th Century

Poster (2010)

Rapport Annuel 2010: Summary on the study of the Tractatus Primus, Secundus, Tertius Instrumentorum Mechanicorum Levini Hulsii, a 17th Century book

Report (2010)

Imaging techniques

Conference (2010)

Combined PIXE/PIGE and IBIL with external beam applied to the analysis of Merovingian glass beads

in Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section B, Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms (2010), 268(11-12), 2078-2082

New improvements on our archaeometry line at the cyclotron of the Institute of Nuclear and Atomic Physics and of Spectrometry of the University of Liege have allowed the use of PIXE/PIGE and IBIL in-air ... [more ▼]

New improvements on our archaeometry line at the cyclotron of the Institute of Nuclear and Atomic Physics and of Spectrometry of the University of Liege have allowed the use of PIXE/PIGE and IBIL in-air for the analysis of cultural heritage objects. The extraction is performed through a 100 nm thick Si3N4 window. The detection set-up consists now of two X-ray and one gamma-ray detectors, together with a fiber optic UV-visible spectrometer. This set-up has already been tested for the analysis of modern corundum [1] and is now adapted to the analysis of archaeological artefacts. In this work, we have used it to analyse 216 out of the 5000 Merovingian glass beads that come from the necropolis of Bossut-Gottechain (Belgium), one of the most important ever found in Belgium. The IBA analyses confirmed the typological division of different beads groups through chemical composition that gives us new insights on fabrication techniques of glass matrices and colorants. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. [less ▲]

Rapport Annuel 2009: First results on the analysis of Halaf Syrian Prehistoric ceramics

Report (2009)

Rapport 2009: Towards the detection of Beryllium in treated Corundum gemstones

Report (2009)

Rapport Annuel 2009: Analyses non destructives d'un livre du 17ème siècle

Report (2009)

Rapport Annuel 2009: Use of XRF and colorimetry techniques for the characterisation of several prehistoric post-paleolithic rock paintings: El Cubular, Sejos and Peña Tu (Cantabria, Spain)

Report (2009)