Astroparticle Physics

Atomic and nuclear physics techniques have become part of the protocol that can be applied to artwork, archaeological findings, or in general cultural heritage objects. In that sense, the competences of our group have transferred to this exciting, and useful field.

This project started in 2015, as a collaboration with the LABEC laboratory- a structure of INFN, located in Florence, Italy. LABEC [18] is a laboratory completely dedicated to the application of nuclear and atomic physics techniques to cultural heritage and the environment. One of the outcomes of this collaboration is the development of the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) and scanner that is now part of the Core Technology Platform at NYUAD. This system allows for the elemental analysis of artworks: this provides extremely important information, such as the composition of colors used by the artist etc. In case of a restoration, it is critical to choose the “safest” paint to avoid any chemical reactions on the canvas. This technique can also be used to look for forgery of artworks and for forensic applications. NYUAD is working in collaboration with The Louvre- Abu Dhabi and uses its own XRF instrument at The Louvre to perform measurements and analysis on important artwork.

Another collaboration with Prof. Robert Parthesius, founder of the Dhakira Center, has been particularly fruitful. Through this collaboration, Prof. Francesco Arneodo has been made the co-Director for scientific research of Dhakira, and co-PI for an REF application for the evolution of Dhakira to a bigger interdisciplinary research center.

NYUAD has a core platform with an impressive portfolio of instruments suitable for cultural heritage analysis and investigations.