A work-horse neutron imaging station at the Laboratorio Energia Nucleare Applicata (LENA) in Pavia (Italy): Instrumental components and applications in the frame of the CHNet-NICHE INFN experiment.

Abstract

Abstract In this work, achieved results on the NICHE project (Neutron Imaging in Cultural HEritage) are presented. It fits in the frame of the Cultural Heritage Network (CHNet) of the Italian Nuclear Physics Institute (INFN), and is devoted to the development and usage of a new neutron imaging station on the thermal port of the 250 kW TRIGA Mark-II reactor installed in the Laboratorio Energia Nucleare Applicata (LENA) in Pavia (Italy). The application of neutron radiography to the diagnostic in the cultural heritage field is quite widespread among the research community since it is a non-invasive technique which allows for revealing of the inner structure of the investigated objects, the identification of different materials and their relative spatial distribution with a suitable level of resolution and contrast. We present here the status and progresses within the project: technical characteristics of the beamline and the imaging station component, measuring configuration, possible applications, and examples.