A THz Scanner to Detect Moisture on Wood Samples

Manuel Greco, Fabio Leccese, Emilio Giovenale, Luca Senni, Andrea Taschin, Andrea Doria
Abstract:
In recent years, the use of terahertz techniques in the field of cultural heritage has increased significantly. Due to the low energy of the THz photon, these techniques are non-destructive, non-invasive and non-ionising.
Moreover, terahertz radiation is sensitive to water, so it could be used in the field of cultural heritage to detect water seepage underneath mosaics and frescoes, thus avoiding the formation of salts that would inevitably lead to the detachment of both mosaic tesserae and portions of frescoes. Furthermore, unlike IR reflectography, a technique capable of detecting the presence of underdrawings, THz imaging and spectroscopy techniques are able to have a greater penetration into matter, thus enabling additional information about the artwork to be obtained.
The objective of this study is to detect moisture in a pine wood sample using a 97 GHz terahertz imaging system.
Download:
IMEKO-MetroArchaeo-2023-107.pdf
DOI:
10.21014/tc4-ARC-2023.107
Event details
IMEKO TC:
TC4
Event name:
TC4 MetroArchaeo 2023
Title:

IMEKO TC4 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Place:
Rome, ITALY
Time:
19 October 2023 - 21 October 2023