LACONA XIII "Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks"

Photonics for safeguarding cultural heritage includes nowadays a large set of tools and methods, such as: laser ablation, photothermal treatments, X ray-UV-Vis-IR-THz spectroscopy, LIPS/LIBS and Raman spectroscopy, 2D/3D/4D modeling, multispectral and iperspectral imaging; interferometry and holography, photoacoustics, LDV, and other.

In recent years, photon sources and sensors have experienced significant innovations driven by the impressive development of the semiconductor, fiber, and microelectronic technologies, which have allowed to rise the emission efficiencies, improve the detection sensitivities, and miniaturize components and systems. This advances set available new potential in terms of reliability, productivity, and portability of photonic systems for diagnostics and conservation of artworks and objects of historical interest.

Besides the intrinsic potential of the various techniques, it is also worth noting the synergistic relation between material characterization and processing technologies. Thus for example, the growing adoption of laser treatments in conservation-restoration of stones, metals and paintings is strongly stimulating insights and developments in real time microstructural and compositional surface characterizations. In particular, the high selectivity features of the laser treatments are stimulating the development of specific analytical technologies and protocols. Conversely, for example, laser ablation using miniaturized DPSS laser sources is exploited for in situ selective stratigraphic sampling for compositional depth profiling analyses using various analytical techniques.

Within such a dynamic picture, which is profoundly transforming material knowledge and protection practices in cultural heritage, LACONA XIII aims at collecting original contributions on photonic approaches devoted to the characterization of the state of conservation and the restoration of artefacts of cultural interest.