Neutrons in cultural heritage research

Neutron radiation is a highly penetrating probe, routinely used for non-destructive testing of engineering components and for analysis of the structure and dynamics of novel advanced materials. The same analytical techniques can be employed for characterising objects of art, museum pieces and archaeological findings. In particular, neutron radiography, neutron diffraction and neutron activation analysis provide valuable and complementary information to address questions of provenance, authenticity, fabrication techniques and conservation. This paper surveys some basic concepts and recent applications of neutrons in cultural heritage research at the ISIS neutron spallation source.