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Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a powerful remote analysis tool that has been
successfully applied to the real-time diagnosis of historical artworks, allowing the observation of
features invisible to the naked eye, as pigment composition, biological attack and restoration
technique. This paper presents a LIF-based optical radar and reports on the results of its deployment
during a field campaign conducted in February 2010 in Seville, Spain.
- & / : ;< -0 +
In a typical laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) instrument, an ultraviolet (UV) laser beam irradiates a
sample and an optical system measures the fluorescence spectrum that contains information on the
target composition. LIF is fast, remote, non-invasive, sensitive and specific. These advantages have
encouraged its application in the real-time monitoring of historical frescos, mosaics, paintings and
stones. These studies showed its high potential as a diagnostic tool for cultural heritage.
The Laser Applications Section (Aristipini et al. 2010) of the Italian National Agency for New
Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) has worked in this field since
2003 and has developed various prototypes. The system presented here (LidArt) is a lidar
fluorosensor (optical radar based on LIF) and its first version was patented in 2007 (Aristipini et al.
2006). It is compact (contained in a cylinder of radius 29 cm and height 18 cm), scanning (the artwork
surface is probed remotely aiming the laser beam), hyperspectral and time resolved (the fluorescence
spectrum is measured with a wavelength resolution of few nm and a time resolution of few ns).
Moreover, it is light, robust, transportable, user-friendly and cost-effective.
Thanks to sophisticated data processing techniques as false-color imaging, principal component
analysis (PCA) on spectra and spectral angle mapping (SAM) on images, LidArt has detected
characteristics invisible to the naked eye, as pigment compositions (e.g. titanium white vs. zinc white),
pigment diffusions (lime and casein), biological attacks (algae and fungi), consolidants (usually
resins), deteriorations, depigmentations, retouches and varnishes (Colao et al. 2008).
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7287
&787
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..239387
Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a powerful remote analysis tool that has been
successfully applied to the real-time diagnosis of historical artworks, allowing the observation of
features invisible to the naked eye, as pigment composition, biological attack and restoration
technique. This paper presents a LIF-based optical radar and reports on the results of its deployment
during a field campaign conducted in February 2010 in Seville, Spain.
- & / : ;< -0 +
In a typical laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) instrument, an ultraviolet (UV) laser beam irradiates a
sample and an optical system measures the fluorescence spectrum that contains information on the
target composition. LIF is fast, remote, non-invasive, sensitive and specific. These advantages have
encouraged its application in the real-time monitoring of historical frescos, mosaics, paintings and
stones. These studies showed its high potential as a diagnostic tool for cultural heritage.
The Laser Applications Section (Aristipini et al. 2010) of the Italian National Agency for New
Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) has worked in this field since
2003 and has developed various prototypes. The system presented here (LidArt) is a lidar
fluorosensor (optical radar based on LIF) and its first version was patented in 2007 (Aristipini et al.
2006). It is compact (contained in a cylinder of radius 29 cm and height 18 cm), scanning (the artwork
surface is probed remotely aiming the laser beam), hyperspectral and time resolved (the fluorescence
spectrum is measured with a wavelength resolution of few nm and a time resolution of few ns).
Moreover, it is light, robust, transportable, user-friendly and cost-effective.
Thanks to sophisticated data processing techniques as false-color imaging, principal component
analysis (PCA) on spectra and spectral angle mapping (SAM) on images, LidArt has detected
characteristics invisible to the naked eye, as pigment compositions (e.g. titanium white vs. zinc white),
pigment diffusions (lime and casein), biological attacks (algae and fungi), consolidants (usually
resins), deteriorations, depigmentations, retouches and varnishes (Colao et al. 2008).
Advanced Materials Research Vols. 133-134 (2010) pp 253-258
© (2010) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.133-134.253