Mapping the elemental distribution in archaeological findings through advanced Neutron Resonance Transmission Imaging

This work highlights recent application ofenergy-selective neutron imagingat theISISNeutron andMuon Source, specifically focusingon the development of Neutron ResonanceTransmission Imaging(NRTI)at theINESinstrument. NRTI isa nuclear technique based on resonant neutron absorption reaction, which combines thesensitivity to elementaland isotopiccompositionwith detailedmorphological information, usingtheepithermal portion of the neutron fluxavailable on theINESinstrument at theISISfacility. Unlikestandard neutron radiography and tomography methods, NRTI preserves detailed timeand energy information foreach detector pixel,enablingenhanced visualisation of elemental distribution insidean object’s volume, with the potential for quantitativeelementalanalysis. Thesefeaturescombinedwith the nondestructiveness of NRTImakethemethod promisingforapplications in thefield of CulturalHeritage,especially when it isemployed in a multi-techniqueapproach to providecomplementary information about thecomposition and thecrystallinestructure ofarchaeological artefacts. Astudy related toHeritage Scienceis presented to demonstratetheeffectiveness of NRTI in non-destructiveinvestigations of inhomogeneousartefacts, specifically focusingon theexcavation finds related to thefirst evidence ofancient brass production inMilan, Italy, during Roman times.