Preliminary Investigation into Accelerators for In-Situ Cultural Heritage Research

Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) centres have provided researchers with powerful techniques to analyse objects of cultural significance in a non-destructive and non-invasive manner. However, in some cases it is not be feasible to remove an object from the field or museum and transport it to the laboratory. In this conference proceedings, we report the initial results of an investigation into the feasibility of a compact accelerator that can be taken to sites of cultural significance, for PIXE analysis. In particular, we consider the application of a compact, robust accelerator that is capable to producing 2 MeV protons that can be taken into the field to perform PIXE measurements on rock art. We detail the main challenges and considerations for such a device, as well as highlighting the potential benefits of this new accelerator application.