Identification of inorganic pigments used in porcelain cards based on fusing Raman and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data

Multianalyzer Spectroscopic Data Fusion for Soil Characterization

The ability to rapidly conduct in-situ chemical analysis of multiple samples of soil and other geological materials in the field offers many advantages over a traditional approach that involves collecting samples for subsequent examination in the laboratory. This study explores the application of complementary spectroscopic analyzers and a data fusion methodology for the classification/discrimination of >100 soil samples from sites across the United States. Commercially available, handheld analyzers for X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRFS), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were used to collect data both in the laboratory and in the field. Following a common data pre-processing protocol, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) were used to build classification models. The features generated by PLSDA were then used in a hierarchical classification approach to assess the relative advantage of information fusion, which increased classification accuracy over any of the individual sensors from 80-91% to 94% and 64-93% to 98% for the two largest sample suites. The results show that additional testing with data sets for which classification with individual analyzers is modest might provide greater insight into the limits of data fusion for improving classification accuracy.

Mobile Spectroscopic Instrumentation in Archaeometry Research

Mobile instrumentation is of growing importance to archaeometry research. Equipment is utilized in the field or at museums, thus avoiding transportation or risk of damage to valuable artifacts. Many spectroscopic techniques are nondestructive and micro-destructive in nature, which preserves the cultural heritage objects themselves. This review includes over 160 references pertaining to the use of mobile spectroscopy for archaeometry. Following a discussion of terminology related to mobile instrumental methods, results of a literature survey on their applications for cultural heritage objects is presented. Sections devoted to specific techniques are then provided: Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and less frequently used techniques. The review closes with a discussion of combined instrumental approaches.