Applicability of Femtosecond Lasers in the Cross-section Sampling of Works of Art
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Applicability of Femtosecond Lasers in the Cross-section Sampling of Works of Art Stephanie Spence 1,2,‡, Takaaki Harada 3,‡, Athanasios Margiolakis 3, Skylar Deckoff-Jones 3, Aaron N. Shugar 2, James F. Hamm 2, Keshav M. Dani 3, Anya R. Dani 1,* 1
Art Conservation Program, Science and Technology Group, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-495, Japan 2 Art Conservation Program, Buffalo State College, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14222, U.S.A. 3 Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-495, Japan
‡ These authors contributed equally to this work. * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +81-98-966-1649
ABSTRACT Issues in traditional cross-section sampling of paintings and other cultural artifacts with a scalpel, such as crumbling, delamination and paint compression, can deter conservators from sampling fragile paint layers. Often, such sampling carries the risk of causing further damage from a scalpel, which outweighs the benefits of scientific investigation. Here, we show that femtosecond lasers offer a viable alternative to obtaining cross-sections with minimal damage to the surrounding artwork. A Regenerative Ti:Sapphire amplifier system with a pulse duration of 70 femtoseconds, a few milliwatts of average power and a repetition rate of 1 kHz (1000 pulses/sec) was used for the study. Tests were performed on oil paintings ranging in age from the 19th century to late 20th century. Effective settings were determined to be 2 mW of power at a speed of 10mm/sec using an 800nm laser. Preliminary results suggest femtosecond lasers could be a viable alternative for obtaining paint cross-sections when traditional sampling methods cause unnecessary damage to fragile materials. INTRODUCTION Material analysis in the field of art conservation can reveal important information about the construction, authenticity and provenance of an artwork. One way conservators study materials is through the examination of cross-sections of paint layers and decorative surfaces. Cross-sectional analysis can aid in the identification of pigments, binding mediums and varnishes, as well as restoration materials from prior treatment campaigns [1]. The current methodology for sampling cross-sections from artefacts involves removal of a small paint flake with a scalpel, in which lateral pressure is applied to remove a piece of paint in an inconspicuous or already damaged area of a painting. Disadvantages of the scalpel cut are that the applied pressure can cause additional damage to the surrounding paint in the form of crumbling, delamination or paint compression. In certain cases, sampling paint that is very fragile is avoided because the risk of further damage is too great. As an alternative to the scalpel method, experiments were carried out to test the applicability of cutting paint cross-section samples using an amplified femtosecond laser system [2]. Ultr
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