Britain's 'Super X-ray' Diamond Synchrotron to shed new light on the ancient world

[Adsos Letter]

Source: Times OnLine UK
Mark Henderson

A scientific instrument is to transform research into the Ancient World by using a light ten billion times brighter than the Sun to reveal the secrets of statues, mummies and sarcophagi.

The imaging facility at the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire will allow objects weighing up to two tonnes to be examined in brilliant X-ray light, to expose clues to their construction and contents. Three Egyptian bronze figurines from the British Museum will be among the first treasures to be investigated by the Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing beamline or Jeep. It uses intense radiation known as synchrotron light, generated by the Diamond Light Source, which allows scientists to see through solid objects and to show structural details that cannot be seen by standard X-rays.

The Diamond synchrotron has been running since 2007, but had been able to examine only small objects. The new Jeep beamline, designed for detecting stresses in aircraft, can cope with larger and heavier targets — including ancient artefacts.

Jen Hiller, a scientist working on the beamline, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Chicago: “Heritage scientists are able to apply to use this unique beamline to delve deep inside precious ancient artefacts to unravel their secrets in a non-invasive way. Never before has it been possible to scan and image such large relics with such precision...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5744170.ece

Pretty amazing photo at the Link!

[Why Syzygy]

1. kick

[Why Syzygy]

2. kick . here's the photo

(Philips Healthcare and University of Chicago/PA Wire )

Meresamun, a woman believed to have been a singer-priestess at a temple in Thebes in 800 BC, inside her coffin. Scientists used the Diamond Synchrotron to view her remains without disturbing the casket, which was sealed almost 1,000 years before Christ's birth