Applied nuclear physics in the final years at Arcetri and the emergence of new activities at the LABEC of the Polo Scientifico at Sesto Fiorentino

Ripartendo dalla storia – riportata nel numero precedente – dei primi anni delle attività di fisica nucleare applicata a Firenze, ripercorro qui l’ultimo periodo ad Arcetri, fino alla nascita “formale” del LABEC col trasferimento del nostro gruppo al Polo Scientifico di Sesto Fiorentino; descrivo poi brevemente le nuove attività sviluppate al LABEC, in partico- lare le datazioni col radiocarbonio usando la tecnica della spettrometria di massa con acce- leratore, resa possibile grazie al nuovo Tandem.Starting from the history of the early years of applied nuclear physics in Florence – reported in the previous issue – here I wish to retrace the final Arcetri period through to the official birth of the LABEC with the transfer of our group to the Polo Scientifico of Sesto Fiorentino. I shall then briefly describe the new activities developed at the LABEC, and in particular radiocarbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry, made possible through the new Tandem

The birth and early phases of applied nuclear physics in Florence

Starting with an introduction summarising the preceding period that made it possible, the initial phases of applied nuclear physics activities at Arcetri are traced through to the moment when the prospects of the formal creation of what is now LABEC began to materialise.Dopo una premessa che riassume il periodo che le ha precedute e rese possibili, si ripercorrono le fasi iniziali delle attività di fisica nucleare applicata, ad Arcetri, fino al momento in cui hanno iniziato a farsi concrete le prospettive di creazione formale dell’attuale LABEC

Mapping with Macro X-ray Fluorescence Scanning of Raffaello's Portrait of Leo X

Raffaello is renowned as one of the Old Renaissance Masters and his paintings and painting technique are famous for the details and naturality of the characters. Raffaello is famous in particular for the then-new technique of oil painting, which he mastered and perfected. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of Raffaello (2020), there was a large exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, where many paintings and drawings by the Old Master were on show. One of these paintings was the portrait of Leo X with two cardinals belonging to the collection of the Uffizi galleries in Florence. Before going to Rome, the painting underwent conservation treatments at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, where a comprehensive diagnostic campaign was carried out with the aim of understanding the painting materials and technique of the Old Master. In this paper, the results of macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) analysis, carried out exploiting the instrument developed by INFN-CHNet, are shown. Among the results, "bismuth black" and the likely use of glass powders in lakes are discussed

The Role of PIXE and XRF in Heritage Science: The INFN-CHNet LABEC Experience

Analytical techniques play a fundamental role in heritage science. Among them, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) techniques are widely used in many laboratories for elemental composition analysis. Although they are well-established, a strong effort is put on their upgrade, making them suitable for more and more applications. Over the years, at the INFN-LABEC (the laboratory of nuclear techniques for the environment and cultural heritage of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics), the INFN-CHNet group, the network devoted to cultural heritage, has carried out many technological improvements to the PIXE and XRF set-ups for the analysis of works of art and archaeological finds. Among the many, we recall here the scanning external microbeam facility at the TANDEM accelerator and the MA-XRF scanner. The two instruments have shown complementary features: the former permits quantitative analysis of elements heavier than sodium, which is not possible with the latter in most of the case studies. On the contrary, the scanner has the undeniable advantage of portability, allowing it to work in situ. In this framework of technological developments in heritage science, INFN, CERN, and OPD are jointly carrying on the MACHINA (Movable Accelerator for Cultural Heritage In-situ Non-destructive Analysis) project for on-site Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) studies on cultural heritage

La restauración del Retrato Trivulzio de Antonello da Messina

El artículo presenta la intervención llevada a cabo en 2006 sobre el Retrato de hombre de Antonello da Messina, que pertenece a las colecciones del Museo Cívico de Arte Antiguo del Palacio Madame. The article presents the intervention carried out in 2006 about the Portrait of a man of Antonello da Messina, which belongs to the collections of the Civic Museum of Ancient Art of the Madame Palace.El artículo presenta la intervención llevada a cabo en 2006 sobre el Retrato de hombre de Antonello da Messina, que pertenece a las colecciones del Museo Cívico de Arte Antiguo del Palacio Madame.&nbsp

Combined PIXE and XPS analysis on republican and imperial roman coins

Abstract A combined PIXE and XPS analysis has been performed on a few Roman coins of the republican and imperial age. The purpose was to investigate via XPS the nature and extent of patina in order to be capable of extracting PIXE data relative to the coins bulk. The inclusion of elements from the surface layer, altered by oxidation and inclusion, is a known source of uncertainty in PIXE analyses of coins, performed to assess the composition and the provenance

Recherches préliminaires sur les matériaux utilisés pour la réglure en couleur dans les manuscrits grecs et latins

Canart Paul, Del Carmine Piero, Federici Carlo, Lucarelli Franco, MacArthur John Duncan, Mandò Pier Andrea, Maniaci Marilena, Palma Marco. Recherches préliminaires sur les matériaux utilisés pour la réglure en couleur dans les manuscrits grecs et latins. In: Scriptorium, Tome 45 n°2, 1991. pp. 205-225

The CERN PIXE-RFQ, a transportable proton accelerator for the machina project

CERN has been building a transportable RFQ for use in the examination of art masterpieces based mainly on the PIXE (Proton Induced X-ray Emission) technique with an extracted beam. This new PIXE-RFQ accelerator is very compact, only one meter in length with a power consumption of less than 6 kVA for a beam energy of 2 MeV and an average current of 5 nA. The PIXE-RFQ will be used for the MACHINA (Movable Accelerator for Cultural Heritage In-situ Non-destructive Analysis) project developed jointly by CERN and INFN. This paper will present the detailed design and performances of the PIXE-RFQ as well as the fabrication technologies used and the current status of the project. The beam size and the peak current/duty cycle of the RFQ have been optimised for the Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) of artwork objects