Research in art and archaeology: capabilities and investigations at the Australian Synchrotron
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Date
2019-11-26
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
In the Australian Synchrotron's short history, we have made some important advances in
instruments and capabilities that can be employed to study art and archaeology. In this article, we describe the capabilities at the Australian Synchrotron that are well-suited to investigating art, archaeology, and cultural heritage. We also present some case studies that demonstrate the breadth and impact of science that has been performed by researchers using these capabilities. Synchrotron radiation has many advantages that make it ideally suited to investigating art, archaeology and cultural heritage. The broad spectrum of radiation that can be employed and, in particular, the penetrating nature of the radiation at hard X-ray energies give the ability to conduct 3D reconstruction with tomography. In many cases, the techniques can be non-destructive and performed in situ. The intense infrared radiation allows infrared microscopy at diffraction-limited resolution and the recently developed attenuated total internal reflection mode can probe the surface of very delicate samples. In the following, we describe the relevant beamlines, their capabilities, and then illustrate with some key examples of research, from paleobotany to the investigation of paintings. © 2019 Informa UK Limited
Description
Keywords
Archaeology, Cultural objects, Pigments, Paints, Synchrotron radiation, Tomography, ANSTO, Australia, X-ray diffraction
Citation
Brand, H. E. A., Howard, D. L., Huntley, J., Kappen, P., Maksimenko, A., Paterson, D. J., Puskar, L. & Tobin, M. J. (2019). Research in art and archaeology: capabilities and investigations at the Australian Synchrotron. Synchrotron Radiation News, 32(6), 3-10. doi:10.1080/08940886.2019.1680208