Quantitative calibration of Neutron Resonance Transmission Imaging (NRTI) for archaeometallurgy analysis

Neutron Resonance Transmission Imaging (NRTI) is an innovative technique for non-destructive elemental analysis and 2D imaging of ihonomogenous materials. Unlike conventional neutron radiography, NRTI preserves detailed energy information for each pixel, enabling enhanced analysis of elemental distribution within materials. Recent advancements, exemplified by a PhD project in collaboration with INES instrument scientist, have focused on refining the NRTI setup and data normalization at the INES beamline and applying it to analyze the composition and distribution of bronze and brass traces in ancient Roman crucibles. This application underscores the significance of understanding historical metallurgy, especially regarding copper alloys, for unravelling technological advancements throughout civilizations, with a first but rough attempt of elemental quantification with the imaging method. The proposed experiment aims to further enhance the accuracy and reliability of NRTI in the framework of archaeometallurgy studies by calibrating the technique using certified standards mirroring the compositions of ancient metals.