Multi-Tasking Non-Destructive Laser Technology in Conservation Diagnostic Procedures

Abstract

Laser metrology provides techniques that have been successfully applied in industrial structural diagnostic fields but have not yet been refined and optimised for the special investigative requirements found in cultural heritage applications. A major impediment is the partial applicability of various optical coherent techniques, each one narrowing its use down to a specific application. This characteristic is not well suited for a field that encounters a great variety of diagnostic problems ranging from movable, multiple-composition museum objects, to immovable multi-layered wall paintings, statues and wood carvings, to monumental constructions and outdoor cultural heritage sites. Various diagnostic techniques have been suggested and are uniquely suited for each of the mentioned problems but it is this fragmented suitability that obstructs the technology transfer. Since optical coherent techniques for metrology are based on fundamental principles and take advantage of similar procedures for generation of informative signals for data collection, then the imposed limits elevate our aim to identify complementary capabilities to accomplish the needed functionality.