PIXE Spectroscopy for Analysis of Cultural Heritage Objects

Laboratory for ion beam interactions of the Ruder Boskovic Institute has been active in analytical applications for studies of cultural heritage for objects already more than 20 years, Majority of research has been performed using X-ray spectrometry techniques and in particular PIXE (Particle induced x-ray emission), with either broad proton beam or microbeam focused in a nuclear microprobe facility. Besides the non-destructive character of X-ray analysis, the versatility of PIXE has been proven in the multielemental analysis of paintings, alloys, ceramics and stone. Examples of recent applications presented here are: characterization of metal threads from a 17(th) century church textile, analysis of inorganic pigments in the paintings by the Master Hans Georg Geiger and investigations of the provenance and elemental distribution in the glaze of the Chinese ceramics Tang Sancai. Furthermore, we present construction of the new external beam line PIXE set-tip, which will allow investigations of objects in air, regardless of their size or shape, making this method even more universal. To enable extraction of the proton beam from the vacuum ambience, special considerations have to be taken into account.