Design and development of a benchtop X-Ray based instrument and its heritage science applications

The role of scientific analyses during conservation processes and studies is more and more important in heritage science. In particular, portable and transportable instruments are demanded for in-situ analysis since it is not often possible to move works of art out of their place. During the research project, a transportable device capable of performing both spec troscopic and structural analyses was developed. At the moment, the operating techniques, all using the same X-ray source, are X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Induced Luminescence (XRIL), and Digital Radiography (DR). The work presented in this thesis describes the design and the development of the instrument, named MODESTA, as well as some preliminary test of its performances and several applications on objects, as paintings, stones, and ceramics. Moreover, some upgrades of the techniques have been exploited, as the macro-XRF (MA XRF) analysis, for mapping an extended area, and the computed tomography (CT) technique, that provides 3D images of the internal structure of a sample.