Art and Archaeometry with Handheld XRF

XL3t With new advancements in technology, archaeometry – or the collection of quantitative data from archaeological samples – is quickly becoming one of the most trusted methods in archaeological study. As the longtime industry leader in portable XRF analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific is uniquely capable of providing handheld nondestructive testing solutions for art and artifacts in the field, in the lab, or on the museum wall.

NITON analyzers are ideal tools to aid in a variety of applications in art and archaeology, including:

Archaeological reconnaissance survey – obtain geochemical data instantaneously
Provenance – compare sources and artifacts, build databases, and much more
Restoration – match pigments and other materials for restoration quickly and accurately
Conservation – help identify how objects have been preserved in the past, and how to better conserve them for the future by looking at elemental composition data
Cultural Resource Management – identify areas of historic human activity quickly and easily
NAGPRA Compliance – ensure that traces of toxic preservatives have been removed from artifacts prior to repatriation
Dating – glean important clues to the age of petroglyphs, alloys, and other materials through elemental analysis
Authentication – help authenticate a variety of art and artifacts using elemental data

With the ability to identify and quantify virtually any element from magnesium through uranium in any sample, the Thermo Scientific NITON^® analyzer is the only real option for portable archaeometric analysis. Our analyzers are the first to integrate the analytical capabilities of a laboratory XRF instrument into a single, handheld device, offering:

Fast, reliable, repeatable, nondestructive elemental analysis in a fully portable instrument, weighing less than 3 lbs (~1.3 kg)
Accurate in-situ quantification of light elements (magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorous, and sulfur) in soils and sediments with the optional Helium Purge Light Element Analysis Package
An optional integrated color CCD camera and sample imaging system to visually identify, locate, specify, and save the image of the analysis area together with elemental analysis results
A revolutionary small-spot x-ray area that allows users to isolate and analyze individual areas 3mm in diameter, several times smaller than can be isolated with conventional portable XRF analyzers
Integrated Bluetooth™ and USB communications for direct data file transfer to a user’s PC or networked storage device, or for connection to a GPS receiver for real-time archaeological site mapping
Built-in VIP™ tilting color touch-screen display for easy viewing of results regardless of sample position

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