# Terahertz Spectroscopy and Imaging Techniques for Conservation Science: Innovative Non-invasive Observation Methods

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging technologies have been actively developed in recent decades. THz waves (0.1-10 THz) are non-invasive, can penetrate opaque materials, and can be used to obtain fingerprint spectra whose characteristics depend upon intermolecular behavior. Most pigments and some synthetic polymers have characteristic fingerprint spectra in the THz region, and can be identified alone or as with paint, a combination of pigments and binders. THz imaging has been already applied to fields such as airport security issues and defect detection in spacecraft parts. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (Tokyo, Japan) has proposed to use THz technologies as a non-invasive method for the analysis of paintings. The first application of THz imaging in the analysis of a historical tempera masterpiece was performed on the panel painting "Polittico di Badia" by Giotto, from the permanent collection of the Uffizi Gallery, with Istituto di Fisica Applicata "Nello Carrara"-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Florence, Italy). The THz imaging created a non-invasive cross section revealing the painting layers from the wood support to the surface, including two gesso layers present in medieval panel paintings. THz imaging can provide practical information for conservators, such as the depth of cracks from the surface and the shape of gold foil under the paint layer. The presentation outlines the progress of THz technology, illustrating this…

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2009
- By: Library Of Congress
- Genres: Science
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688359/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021688359?play=1)