The Conservation of the Shroud of Turin: Optical Studies

Paolo Di Lazzaro, Daniele Murra, Antonino Santoni - ENEA, Unità Tecnica Sviluppo di Applicazioni delle Radiazioni; Enrico Nichelatti - ENEA, Unità Tecnica Tecnologie dei Materiali

The ancient linen cloth of the Shroud of Turin is one of the archaeological objects most studied in history, mainly because of the unexplained nature of its image. We have recently irradiated linen fabrics by excimer laser pulses obtaining a Shroud-like coloration, and have recognized photo-chemical processes that may have played a role in the formation of the image embedded into the Shroud. Our results suggest some actions aimed at a long-term conservation of the Shroud and its image