{"id":39782,"date":"2024-03-14T14:27:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T13:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/recursos-educativos\/neutrones-tecnicas-nucleares-aplicadas-patrimonio-cultural\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T12:24:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T11:24:05","slug":"neutrons-nuclear-techniques-applied-cultural-heritage","status":"publish","type":"re_recurso","link":"https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/en\/recursos-educativos\/neutrons-nuclear-techniques-applied-cultural-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"Neutrons are part of nuclear techniques applied to cultural heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since the discovery of nuclear energy, many applications have been developed,<\/a> such as producing electricity, diagnosing and treating diseases, caring for the environment, etc. However, one of them is little known: the study, conservation, restoration, and disinfection of cultural, artistic, or historical heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we focus on neutron-based nuclear science and technology for the study of cultural heritage, but if you want to know more about what else can be done, have a look at our article: What can nuclear technology do for artistic, cultural, and historical heritage?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neutron activation is a common type of highly sensitive, non-destructive analysis that can reveal the atomic concentration of a single atom in a million, without altering or destroying the material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This technique, discovered in 1935 by George de Hevesy<\/a> and Hilde<\/a> Levi, initially proved to be a useful tool for measuring the mass of rare earths and is now being applied to analyze cultural heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It consists of irradiating stable atoms with neutrons which, by trapping the neutron, can result in radioactive isotopes capable of emitting gamma radiation, and then measuring the decay or radiation of the elements in the sample. Virtually any reactor operating at a thermal power of 10 to 30 kilowatts is capable of providing sufficient neutron flux to irradiate samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An\u00e1lisis
Neutron activation analysis (Source: IAEA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This technique makes it possible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n