Analysis Methods for Cultural Goods

Scientific methods applied to matters of study, preservation and authentication of paintings and archaeological artefacts works. Elements of the structure of matter. periodic table of elements weight and atomic number, isotopes and isobars. non-invasive and non-destructive analysis.
The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Discrete energy levels and continuous energy spectrum. Phenomena associated with the corpuscular theory of radiation. The photoelectric effect. Energy, frequency and wavelength. atomic models, the Thomson atom and that of Bohr. Nucleus and electrons, the spectral discrete energy levels and continuous energy spectrum. Binding energy in atoms and molecules. electron-joule conversion. Elemental analysis. Absorption and atomic emission spectroscopy in the optical band and X-band techniques OES, AAS and LIBS. XRF, PIXE TXRF. principles of operation and usability techniques. Application examples in the field archaeometric. Interaction of radiation with matter. Phenomena associated with wave-like behavior of the radiation, interference and diffraction. XRD and Electron scanning microscopy (SEM). RBS
Alpha, beta and gamma Radioactivity. Introduction to dating methods based on natural radioactivity. Laws of radioactive decay, counting statistics, Gaussian distribution around a mean value. The method of radiocarbon. Secular equilibrium. Wells and sources of radiocarbon. Changes in concentration of C14, isotopic fractionation.
Uncertainty on the calendar date. Dendrochronology Methods of measurement of the C14. Measurements with AMS (mass spectroscopy) and measures with radioactivity counters. Limits in dating with radiocarbon. OXCAL. Potassium / Argon relationship. Based methods of lead isotopes. Thermoluminescence. Exposure and dose. Annual dose and absorbed dose.
Macroscopic aspects related to the absorbance and reflectance of the materials. Specular and diffuse reflection. Emission of light from matter, glow luminescence and optical elements. Reflectance, absorbance and transmittance, Lambert law and Beer. UV-visible spectroscopy -nir. Optical elements. Laws of reflection, refraction, refractive index. Dispersion, chromatic aberration. Resolving power of an optical system. Physical color and psychophysical color, primary colors. Chemical and physical basics of color. Simultaneous contrast and complementary colors. Additive synthesis and subtractive synthesis of colors, RGB and CMYK systems. Sum of the reflectance spectra. Outlines of color measuring systems. Physiology of vision, appearance phenomenology of color. Chromaticity Diagram, dominant wavelength, nods to the color coordinates systems longer in use: RGB, XYZ, CIELab. Mathematical properties of the chromaticity diagram. Enlightening and sources, the color temperature. Metamerism. Standard observers in colorimetry. The paint pigments. Surfaces painted and painting techniques. The painting binders. Chemical composition of the pigments. Mineral and organic pigments, natural and artificial coloring. Cataloging and historical painting using pigments. Optical analysis of the paintings in false color (IRFC). UV fluorescence analysis. Examples of case studies. Sample analysis integrated for the characterization of pigments.
Radiography, basic principles. Radiopacity of a paint layer in dependence on the atomic number of the materials and thickness.
Infrared Reflectography: physical principles of scattering in the propagation of visible light and infrared in pictorial films, transparency of pictorial materials as a function of wavelength. the technical limits. Areas of application, outlines the historical evolution of the art, examples of applications.
Thermography: operating principles, the Stefan Boltzmann, Wien law, spectral energy distribution. Spectral emissivity. Principles of operation of the thermographic recording systems. Historical surveys on construction. Detachments of the plaster and the study of masonry textures.