Exploring the Effects of Synchrotron Irradiation on Ancient Egyptian Pigments

Publié le 31 décembre 2022 - Synchrotron SOLEIL Highlights 2022

Auteurs : Marie Godet, Laurent Binet, Sebastian Schoeder, Lucile Brunel-Duverger, Mathieu Thoury, Loïc Bertrand

The effects of synchrotron X-ray radiation on Egyptian blue and green pigments were investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). After irradiation on PUMA beamline, three types of radiation-induced defects were detected, E’ centres, aluminium (Al) hole centres and oxygen hole centres (OHC). Egyptian green was found to be much more sensitive to X-rays than Egyptian blue and showed browning at the lowest dose tested.