IPERION HSIntegrating Platforms for the European Research Infrastructure ON Heritage Science

Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA)

The method is based on detection of nuclear reaction products and measurements of their energy spectra. For some combinations of projectile and target atoms the reactions display either the Gamma - ray spectra (PIGE - Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission) are measured, or the particles (protons, alpha particles,...) which are detected as products of the nuclear reaction. NRA is appropriate to analyze light elements with high sensitivity.

Fields of application

  • Cultural heritage

    archaeological object and site, architecture, art, decorative arts, film, manuscript, mosaics, musical instrument, other, painting, photo, sculpture, textile

  • Natural heritage

    animal product, botanic collection, fossil, mineral, object in formalin, other, shell, skeleton, taxidermy collection

Materials

  • inorganic

    ceramic (clay/mud brick/terracotta/earthenware/stoneware/porcelain), glass, stone, metal and metallurgical By-Products, parchment, pigment

  • organic

    wood, paper, textiles, parchment

TOOLS

Archive image

Type and energy of particles: protons or deuterons from 1 to 4MeV or Alphas from 2 to 6MeV for Alphas. Beam size: down to 20µm. Single spot or mapping on areas up to cm²-sized area (max 20x20cm²). NRA detection systems depends on the considered reaction and has to be adapted to each experiment. It usually...