TISCH · Terahertz Imaging and Spectroscopy for Cultural Heritage

The purpose of this proposed project is to establish terahertz technology as a viable, nondestructive, and noninvasive tool for the study of cultural heritage; which will contribute to the conservation and sustainability of artifacts. Terahertz spectroscopic imaging is a nascent technique—established only in the last 20 years, and developed only in the last five years for cultural heritage applications. As a result, its utility to conservation has not been extensively demonstrated, despite its exhaustive potential. Through this project, decisions can be made related to which terahertz tools provide complementary information to well-established measurement techniques and what information cannot be extracted using any other technique, while preserving the condition of the artifact of interest.