PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TECHNIQUES FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF UNDERWATER 3D MODELS OF SEABED AND ARTIFACTS

The digital representation of hydraulic engineering works such as dykes or barriers is a sector that is becoming increasingly important. In general, however, the 3D relief of semi-submerged structures is still a problem. The Geomatics Laboratory in collaboration with CNR-IPCF of Messina as part of a broader project to analyze the variations of the coast lines and the seabed of the province of Reggio Calabria (southern Italy), has developed an experimental system of acquisition and processing of digital images acquired via UAV and (Remotely operated vehicle) ROV. The present note describes the design and construction characteristics of the ROV realized and used, the advantages and limitations of the use of a small and low-cost ROV, as well as the results obtained during the experimentation phase. The process of surveying of the sub-emerged structure inquired and the relative construction of a unique 3D model are also described. The two surveys were first elaborated separately and then united in a single reference system by means of the visible markers in the area straddling the sea surface. Finally, the bathymetry values obtained from the classic echo sounder system and those obtained from the model obtained were compared

Chemometric tools to point out benchmarks and chromophores in pigments through spectroscopic data analyses

Spectral preprocessing data and chemometric tools are analytical methods widely applied in several scientific contexts i.e., in archaeometric applications. A systematic classification of natural powdered pigments of organic and inorganic nature through Principal Component Analysis with a multi-instruments spectroscopic study is presented here. The methodology allows the access to elementary and molecular unique benchmarks to guide and speed up the identification of an unknown pigment and its recipe. This study is conducted on a set of 48 powdered pigments and tested on a real-case sample from the wall painting in S. Maria Delle Palate di Tusa (Messina, Italy). Four spectroscopic techniques (X-ray Fluorescence, Raman, Attenuated Total Reflectance and Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopies) and six different spectrometers are tested to evaluate the impact of different setups. The novelty of the work is to use a systematic approach on this initial dataset using the entire spectroscopic energy range without any windows selection to solve problems linked with the manipulation of large analytes/materials to find an indistinct property of one or more spectral bands opening new frontiers in the dataset spectroscopic analyses

Neutron Tomography at INES: First experimental results

A neutron tomography apparatus has been designed and installed at the Italian neutron experimental station (INES) at ISIS (UK). The instrument has a double aim: an additional opportunity for the INES users and a “bench test” for an instrument component that will be proposed for installation on some of the new neutron scattering instruments of Target Station 2 (TS2) of ISIS. Here, we present the first experimental results achieved with this apparatus

The Church of S. Maria Delle Palate in Tusa (Messina, Italy): Digitization and Diagnostics for a New Model of Enjoyment

Cultural places represent the tangible part of the identity and historical heritage of a civilization as well as an extraordinary driving force for the economic development of a country. Within its huge asset, Italy counts a wide number of archaeological sites and monuments which, despite their cultural value, are totally cut off from the most important cultural routes. This paper aims to demonstrate how specific actions of digitization can contribute to valorize (restoring a cultural value) ‘marginal’ landmarks, promoting their knowledge and inclusion. The case study described is represented by the Church of “Santa Maria delle Palate”, located inside the well-known Archaeological Park of Halaesa Arconidea (Tusa, ME). The church, built in 1551 and subject to several renovations throughout the centuries, has been investigated as part of an interdisciplinary training and skill transfer project carried out by a CNR-IPCF research team. During the activities, the group of trainees approached a multi-analytic method for the study of many Sicilian places using different techniques such as laser scanning, photogrammetry, thermography and spectroscopy and collecting a large amount of information and data. In 2019, the building in question was the object of a complete architectural survey in order to obtain an accurate digital replica; moreover, the wall painting representing St. Francis, preserved in the southern nave, was investigated through non-invasive investigations (IR-imaging, XRF and Raman spectrometry) with the intention of collecting information about its state of preservation and nature of pigments used and help the restoration work, which would have been carried out in the following months. The result of the work is a combined “digital archive” useful not only for the purposes of conservation, monitoring and dissemination, but as a container of information enjoyable at different levels of depth. In addition to the scientific outcomes achieved for the study of the painting, relevant from the historical and artistic point of view, we must underline the importance of the work for the implementation of a web-based platform where expert and inexpert users can virtually access the church virtual tour and search for specialized contents (e.g., measures, analyzes results). Media such as this are finally demonstrated to be able to promote the inclusion (e.g., for people unable to reach the place or with reducing mobility) and accessibility to cultural places during ordinary (maintenance, closure) or extraordinary events (pandemic)

Looking for the Original Materials and Evidence of Restoration at the Vault of the San Panfilo Church in Tornimparte (AQ)

This paper reports the investigation of six microsamples collected from the vault of the San Panfilo Church in Tornimparte (AQ). The aim was to detect the composition of the pigments and protective/varnishes, and to investigate the executive technique, the conservation state, and the evidence of the restoration works carried out in the past. Six microsamples were analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The investigations were carried out within the framework of the Tornimparte project "Archeometric investigation of the pictorial cycle of Saturnino Gatti in Tornimparte (AQ, Italy)" sponsored in 2021 by the Italian Association of Archeometry (AIAr)

A COMBINED STUDY OF ART WORKS PRESERVED IN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUMS: 3D SURVEY, SPECTROSCOPIC APPROACH AND AUGMENTED REALITY

The renewed interest, in the context of international museological studies, for historical installations such as museographic devices (able to give shape to a space duly dialoguing with the user), is due today to their communicative immediacy. In recent years the availability of libraries and tools for the use of augmented reality (AR) content has undergone an important increase. AR innovation represents a new method for enhancing the presence visitors into the museum industry despite its use leads to an increase in costs and instrumental investments. In this regard, in a wider work of valorisation and dissemination of archaeological heritage, we are working on the development of an app for tourism purposes. The aim of this paper is the application of some techniques (3D modelling, spectroscopy, virtual reality) to study, record and make available information about archaeological artefacts preserved in the Regional Museum of Lipari (clay masks) and in the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria (the statue Kouros and the Amphoras). The three-dimensional models produced are well suited to applications of augmented reality for the promotion and dissemination of information on the archaeological /architectural/cultural heritage.Moreover, the integration of the information about characterization of materials are essential in order to identify both geographic area of provenience and manufacturing historic period. Some pigments or medium, and in general all materials, can be indeed connected to a determinate historic time or to a specific artist; to this particular purpose spectroscopic methods are valid approach for their non-destructive nature.</p

Laser Controlled Synthesis of Noble Metal Nanoparticle Arrays for Low Concentration Molecule Recognition

Nanostructured gold and silver thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition. Performing the process in an ambient gas (Ar) leads to the nucleation and growth of nanoparticles in the ablation plasma and their self-organization on the substrate. The dependence of surface nanostructuring of the films on the deposition parameters is discussed considering in particular the number of laser pulses and the ambient gas nature and pressure. The performance of the deposited thin films as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was tested against the detection of molecules at a low concentration. Taking Raman maps on micrometer-sized areas, the spatial homogeneity of the substrates with respect to the SERS signal was tested

Gli affreschi provenienti dalle terme romane di Reggio Calabria. Dalla conoscenza al restauro

The frescoes at marine thermae discovered in 1886 during the excavation of the small thermal complex dating between the 1th and 3rd century AD, and located on the seafront of Reggio Calabria, have been collected already collapsed. They are currently part of the permanent exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria. This paper illustrates the results of the restoration intervention, carried out in the form of an educational activity in the context of an agreement signed between the MarRC and the University of Calabria, and the results of the diagnostic investigations carried out by the IPCF-CNR of Messina and the STEBICEF department of the University of Palermo

Time-of-Flight Neutron Imaging on IMAT@ISIS: A New User Facility for Materials Science

The cold neutron imaging and diffraction instrument IMAT at the second target station of the pulsed neutron source ISIS is currently being commissioned and prepared for user operation. IMAT will enable white-beam neutron radiography and tomography. One of the benefits of operating on a pulsed source is to determine the neutron energy via a time of flight measurement, thus enabling energy-selective and energy-dispersive neutron imaging, for maximizing image contrasts between given materials and for mapping structure and microstructure properties. We survey the hardware and software components for data collection and image analysis on IMAT, and provide a step-by-step procedure for operating the instrument for energy-dispersive imaging using a two-phase metal test object as an example

On the Origin of Excess Thermodynamic Quantities in Liquid Mixtures

The nature of the interactions between components in liquid mixtures has been investigated by means of Brillouin light scattering. Several binary systems, able of mixing over the whole concentration range, have been studied. In each case, deviations of the adiabatic compressibility from ideal behaviour have been observed. This result has been interpreted within the framework of a well-established theoretical model, namely the nonadditive hard-sphere mixture. Despite similar findings were rationalized in terms of enhanced interactions between molecules, the analysis of excess thermodynamic functions indicates that they are mainly due to excluded volume effects and that the differences in the local intermolecular interaction act as higher order contributions: this can be a general consideration for liquid mixtures. A discussion is proposed on the revaluation of excess thermodynamic data and on their ability in providing direct information on intermolecular interactions