Research Group:

Cultural Heritage Research Group

Overview of Research Group, Goals and Purposes:

Synchrotron radiation was applied to cultural heritage objects in 1987 at the photon factory in Japan for the first time in the world. Now the advanced third-generation synchrotron radiation at SPring-8 is applicable to cultural heritage and archaeology, as well as other academic studies and industrial purposes. An investigation into the origin of excavated bronze mirrors, wood identification for old wooden statues using X-ray micro-tomography, investigations of origin of old china and studies on the degraded state of excavated silk fibers using infrared micro-spectroscopy were done at SPring-8. On the other hand, many fruitful investigations for old paintings have been made using synchrotron radiation in Europe. Not only historically important results, we may possibly draw new scientific or technical information from old material or old technology by those scientific approaches to them.

We are to make “Cultural Heritage Research Group” to promote the fruitful and advanced application of synchrotron radiation at SPring-8 to cultural heritage investigation. In this research group we are to have communication and discussion about our research results and the future prospects, and also about current status and future prospects of the application technology of synchrotron radiation.

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