The use of neutron technology in archaeological and cultural heritage research

Nations define themselves by their history and their customs. Their history is determined by both archaeological and archival evidence. The continuing development of a national culture is essential for the formation of a national identity. Both archaeological sites and cultural heritage artifacts are important to many nations because of income earned through tourism. This chapter discusses the use of neutron technology, one of a number of possible technologies, in the study of archaeological and cultural heritage artifacts. In particular descriptions of Neutron Activation Analysis, Neutron Diffraction, and Neutron Imaging Techniques will be given, and selected applications of these techniques to archaeology and cultural heritage artifacts will be given