Ultrashort pulsed Femtosecond UV laser for selective cleaning of significant Cretaceous flints

•UV fs laser is used to irradiate contaminated archaeological flint samples.•Ablation and cleaning threshold parameters are established.•Effective removal of encrustations and colored contaminants.•No damage caused on the flint surface. This work reports on studies aimed to evaluate the utilization...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Materials letters 2023-05, Vol.338, p.134028, Article 134028
Main Authors:	Rahman, Md. Ashiqur, de la Fuente, Germán F., Carretero, José Miguel, Alonso Abad, Mª Pilar, Ruiz, Marta Navazo, Alonso Alcalde, Rodrigo, Chapoulie, Rémy, Schiavon, Nick, Angurel, Luis A.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Femtosecond UV laser Flint Laser cleaning Sierra de Atapuerca
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	•UV fs laser is used to irradiate contaminated archaeological flint samples.•Ablation and cleaning threshold parameters are established.•Effective removal of encrustations and colored contaminants.•No damage caused on the flint surface. This work reports on studies aimed to evaluate the utilization of ultrashort 238 fs (fs) pulsed UV laser emission at 343 nm for eliminating colored crusts and surface deposits on significant Cretaceous flint surfaces, in an attempt to safeguard its aesthetic appearance and archaeological value. The results indicate that fs UV lasers may be an ideal, non-contact tool for selective surface cleaning of sensitive archaeological artefacts, since they enable contaminant desorption while avoiding photothermal damage.
ISSN:	0167-577X 1873-4979