Mariaelena Fedi

Characterization of metal threads using differential PIXE analysis

Abstract The external differential-PIXE technique is presented in this work as an efficient and non-destructive tool for the characterization of the structure of ancient metal threads. A PIXE analysis for different proton energies has been performed in a selection of gold and silver threads belonging to the Collection of Textiles of La Alhambra (19th century) and to the Medieval Collection of Textiles of the National Archaeological Museum of Spain. The threads are made of metal strips, wound around a silk or cotton core. The use of differential PIXE allows to distinguish strips made of homogeneous alloys from those made of a silver and copper alloy, coated with a thin gold layer. In the same analysis it is also possible to detect the presence or absence of some trace elements of archaeological interest, such as Pb or Hg.

The differential PIXE set-up at the Van de Graaff laboratory in Florence

PIXE analysis performed with protons of different energies makes it possible to obtain information about the depth sequence of different elements within the analysed sample. In this paper we report on the differential PIXE set-up installed at the external-beam facility of the KN3000 accelerator in Florence. In order to change beam energy on the sample, our choice was to insert energy degraders between beam exit window and sample. 25 μm Upilex foils are used to degrade the beam: with 3 MeV protons, the energy loss is about 500 keV; higher energy losses are obtained by sandwiching more foils. Measurements of lateral beam profiles and of energy loss and straggling after the Upilex foils are reported, compared to those obtained with other materials such as aluminium and copper. We also investigated the possible damage to the foil due to beam irradiation. Preliminary applications of this set-up to the stratigraphic analysis of samples of archaeometrical interest are described.

The pulsed beam facility at the 3 MV Van de Graaff accelerator in Florence: Overview and examples of applications

Abstract An electrostatic chopper has been installed at the KN 3000 accelerator in Florence to obtain short beam pulses with a number of particles per pulse whose average value can be chosen by varying the current intensity at the deflector plates input. Beam pulses can be obtained containing an average number of particles per pulse from less than one to thousands. The transmitted beam pulses can be as short as 200 ps FWHM, at a repetition rate up to about 100 kHz. Among the many applications of the facility, the direct measurement of energy loss and straggling of protons in Kapton and aluminium is reported. In this measurement, the facility has been tuned for transmission of mainly single-proton pulses; the beam energy is directly measured downstream with a good energy-resolution detector, without and with absorbers in front. In general, measurements of this kind can be directed both to study the basic processes of charged particles interactions in materials, or more practically to obtain the effective values of energy parameters useful in many IBA applications, avoiding the need to rely on simulations or theoretical estimates. Also briefly described is an application to Si-detector testing. In this case, the facility has been tuned for transmission of pulses containing many hundreds of protons of energy E p =2.5 MeV and the detector is directly exposed to the pulses. Spectra containing equally spaced peaks at energies multiple of E p are obtained and the response linearity of the detector plus electronics system can thus be checked.

The Artemidorus Papyrus: Solving an Ancient Puzzle with Radiocarbon and Ion Beam Analysis Measurements

Ancient papyrus manuscripts are one of the most fascinating sources for reconstructing not only ancient life habits but also past literature. Recently, an amazing document has come to the fore due to the heated debates it raised: the so-called Artemidorus papyrus. It is a very long scroll (about 2.5 m) composed of several fragments of different sizes, with inscriptions and drawings on both sides. On the recto of the document, a text about geography and some drawings of heads, feet, and hands are present, while on the verso there are many sketches of animals, both real and fantastic. Its importance in classical studies comes from the fact that some scholars claim that it is the first known transcription of a relatively large fragment by the Greek geographer Artemidorus. However, other scholars think that the papyrus is a fake, drawn in the 19th century AD by a well-known forger. In order to overcome all possible ambiguities, the papyrus has been studied not only on the basis of historical and paleographic criteria but also by scientific techniques. We have contributed to the knowledge about the papyrus by radiocarbon dating the document and by analyzing the composition of the ink using ion beam analysis (IBA). Results are compatible with the scroll being an ancient manuscript: accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C measurements have dated the papyrus to a period between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, while IBA measurements have pointed out the use of an organic (carbon-based) ink, which was typical of ancient Roman and Greek times. Details of the measurements are presented to emphasize the importance of combining AMS and IBA results.

A beam profile monitor for rare isotopes in Accelerator Mass Spectrometry: preliminary measurements

In accelerator systems, beam lines are generally equipped with diagnostic elements, such as Faraday cups and beam profile monitors (BPM), to optimize beam transport. These diagnostic elements, or at least commercial ones, are designed to only work with continuous beams, and their typical maximum sensitivity is about few tens of pA. Thus, in the case of diagnosis of rare isotope beams in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), Faraday cups and BPMs are not suitable on the high-energy side of the tandem accelerator, after energy-mass-charge analysis. For example, in 14C AMS, even for a modern sample, the expected counting rate is a few tens of Hz; in these conditions, a commercial BPM cannot be used. On the other hand, checking the shape and the position of the rare isotope beam hitting the detector can be important in order to better identify signals in the detector itself, thus also helping in reducing the measurement background. This paper presents a prototype BPM especially designed for low-intensity beams. The BPM is based on a multiwire proportional chamber characterized by 2 grids of anode wires, oriented perpendicular to each other in order to measure both the x and the y coordinates of the particle impact point. Details about the design and the electronics of the device are given, and the first test measurements are discussed.

RADIOCARBON DATING IN LATE-ROMAN AND MEDIEVAL CONTEXTS: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION IN THE CENTER OF FLORENCE, ITALY

A series of samples for radiocarbon dating were collected in 2005 from the Biblioteca Magliabechiana archae- ological excavation area in the center of Florence, Italy, in a project directed by the Dipartimento di Archeologia e Storia delle Arti of the University of Siena, in cooperation with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e per il Paesaggio per le pro- vince di Firenze e Prato. This area is located near the Uffizi Galleries, close to the Roman town, the Arno River and one of its former tributaries. The area is peculiar for the Florentine urban context because it was free from urban development until the 12th century AD. The exposed stratigraphy showed the presence of several layers composed of natural sediments, partly the result of historical floods. Here, we report a series of 14C measurements on charcoal and seed samples collected on this excavation. 14C dating has been performed in the LABEC laboratory in Florence, on the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) beam line of the AMS-IBA 3MV Tandetron accelerator. We also had the opportunity to compare the 14C dates obtained with several series of samples previously collected in nearby archaeological areas. Results were consistent with the data obtained previously and, moreover, offer interesting new aspects to the interpretation of the archaeological findings.

Enzymatic laundry for old clothes: immobilized alpha-amylase from Bacillus sp. for the biocleaning of an ancient Coptic tunic

The classification and conservation of ancient artworks (belonging to collections) is of important cultural, historical, and economic concern. However, ancient textiles often display structural damage that renders them fragile and unsuitable for exhibition. One of the most common types of damage is linked to erroneous restoration treatments, among which the application of glues to consolidate cuts. Harsh strategies, such as mechanical or chemical treatments, are not suitable since they can cause further impairment of the fabric, whereas mild approaches, like wet cleaning, are often ineffective, as also demonstrated by the present study. Here, we have explored the possibility of using gellan-immobilized enzymes of bacterial origin (Bacillus alpha-amylase) to obtain a satisfactory starch removal from a damaged archaeological tunic-shroud from the Turin Egyptian Museum (Italy), without altering the original yarns or textile fibers. This method, already applied to clean casein-damaged wall paintings, as well as cotton, silk, and linen fabrics, has proved to be optimal for the treatment of a wool burial shroud and to be able to definitively solve fragile textile restoration problems. Moreover, efforts have been made to obtain insights into the artwork: a multidisciplinary approach has allowed to obtain a correct chronological attribution (radiocarbon dating) and fabric fiber characterization (SEM-EDX) as well as shed light on the colored parts and dark stains (FORS+IRFC and XRF). Finally, the evaluation of the type of glue, by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, has suggested the best enzyme for glue removal. These results have demonstrated that a mild bio-based approach is a successful tool for the treatment of archaeological textiles in critical conditions.

Characterization of the Chloroform-Based Pretreatment Method for 14C Dating of Restored Wooden Samples

At INFN-LABEC (Florence, Italy), a new pretreatment for radiocarbon dating based on chloroform has been recently set up. This method aims to remove the synthetic resins used for artwork restoration, which otherwise could alter the original 14 C content. The present study characterizes the efficiency of the process when applied to wood. We have verified whether the effectiveness of the pretreatment depends on the number of extractions in chloroform. We prepared samples by applying different volumes of Paraloid B-72 ® , one of the most widespread products used in restoration, on poplar wood of known age. Contaminated samples were artificially aged in a climatic chamber. A fraction from each sample was collected before any treatment and after respectively 1, 2, 3, and 4 extractions in chloroform, and 14 C dating by AMS, the resin appears to be already removed after the first two extractions. Furthermore, the extracted mixtures of chloroform and possible removed Paraloid were measured by FTIR spectroscopy, the results of which confirmed the 14 C results. The efficiency of the pretreatment was also verified on historical wooden materials that had been previously restored. In these cases, a higher number of extractions is required, suggesting a careful approach when dealing with “real” artworks.

Latest Holocene depositional history of the southern Venice Lagoon, Italy

Analyzing the signatures of landscape changes in the stratigraphic record is crucial to refine our knowledge of tidal landform dynamics and represents a first step toward the development of predictive morphodynamic models. The southern Venice Lagoon (Italy) is particularly suited to analyze modifications in the depositional environment and, consequently, in the sedimentary record because of the remarkable changes that occurred in the last centuries. We collected 25 cores along a NE–SW linear transect about 5 km long cutting through salt marshes, tidal flats, and subtidal platforms. High-resolution sedimentological analyses defined the spatial arrangement of four deposits along the transect (palustrine, salt marsh, lag, and tidal-flat/subtidal-platform deposits), whose cores were dated through radiocarbon, 210Pb, and 137Cs geochronological analyses. The study succession testifies an evolution from a palustrine freshwater environment to a lagoonal environment over the last 2000 years. The palustrine peat progressively evolved into salt marshes in the 14th century. Salt-marsh aggradation is characterized by different accretion rates over time and occurred in parallel with the decrease in the salt-marsh extent and tidal-flat expansion. Where salt-marsh deposits were locally flooded and impacted by wind waves, a lag deposit developed. As a consequence of the progressive water deepening, organic-rich mud accumulated above the lag. The results, as well as providing the first accretion model for the latest Holocene succession in the southern Venice Lagoon, highlight that the disappearance of salt marshes in this area has to be ascribed to the lateral erosion of their margins, rather than to their progressive drowning.