Hidden mysteries in ancient Egyptian paintings from the Theban Necropolis observed by in-situ XRF mapping.

The material study of ancient Egyptian paintings began with the advent of Egyptology during the 19th century. By the 1930s, a lot had already been sampled and described. The limited palette for example has been analysed from actual painted surfaces but also from pigments and painting tools retrieved on site.

Monte Carlo optimum management of Am/Be disused sealed radioactive sources.

The optimum encapsulation of Am/Be disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS) based on PHITS Monte Carlo simulations for their long-term storage in Cameroon was performed. The country capacity for the management of disused neutron sources was also evaluated and showed that a Am1 P60 capsule is sufficient for the total available inventoried Am/Be DSRSs. The effective dose rate was computed in the enclosures of the DSRS container, which will be temporarily stored in the centralized radioactive waste facility.

Recovering and restitution of unknown, unidentified, and unlabeled samples in laboratories using EDXRF analysis.

This Study presents a method to recover and label unknown samples in a nuclear laboratory using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry based on spectra differentiation and analysis. This method was found to be a new powerful tool that can be used in different laboratories where a certain number of samples cannot be identified because they have never been identified, their labeling and identification cannot be assessed because of degradation, and/or any other causes. The method was found to be simple, timely appropriate, not expensive, and powerful in identifying and recover the information needed for a sample.

Monte Carlo method for gamma spectrometry based on GEANT4 toolkit: Efficiency calibration of BE6530 detector.

The combination of gamma-ray spectrometry, the development of related Monte Carlo method and the GEANT4 (GEometry ANd Tracking) toolkit have been developed for gamma spectrometry simulation. The main objective was to validate simulation models of broad energy germanium (BEGe) detector geometry built in our laboratory (BE6530 model). Monte Carlo simulation of the geometry of BE6530 detector for efficiency calibration was carried out with GEANT4 toolkit.

Precision measurement of radioactivity in gamma-rays spectrometry using two HPGe detectors (BEGe-6530 and GC0818-7600SL models) comparison techniques: Application to the soil measurement.

To obtain high quality of results in gamma spectrometry, it is necessary to select the best HPGe detector for particular measurements, to calibrate energy and efficiency of gamma detector as accurate as possible. To achieve this aim, the convenient detector model and gamma source can be very useful. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the soil specific activity using two HPGe model (BEGe-6530 and GC0818-7600SL) by comparing the results of the two detectors and the technics used according to the detector type.

Synthesis and fading of eighteenth-century Prussian blue pigments: a combined study by spectroscopic and diffractive techniques using laboratory and synchrotron radiation sources.

Prussian blue, a hydrated iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II) complex, is a synthetic pigment discovered in Berlin in 1704. Because of both its highly intense color and its low cost, Prussian blue was widely used as a pigment in paintings until the 1970s. The early preparative methods were rapidly recognized as a contributory factor in the fading of the pigment, a fading already known by the mid-eighteenth century.

Elemental 2D imaging of paintings with a mobile EDXRF system.

Imaging techniques are now used commonly and intensively in cultural heritage object analysis. Nowadays, many different techniques in nature as well as many applications exist, where they can be applied. X-ray radiography and infrared reflectography as well as UV photography are some of the most applied techniques.

Multi-disciplinary investigation of the tomb of Menna (TT69), Theban Necropolis, Egypt.

The archaeometrical survey of the tomb of Menna (TT69), which took place in November-December 2007, is part of the extended research program that aims to study and preserve this tomb in all its aspects. Menna was a high official who served as an overseer of Cadastral surveys during the reigns of pharaohs Tuthmosis IV and Amenhotep III (ca. 1419-1370 BC).