Summer School on Applications of Radiation Physics on Cultural Heritage (SARP-CH)

The Summer School on Applications of Radiation Physics on Cultural Heritage (SARP-CH) is an intensive three-day program aimed at advanced university students, PhD candidates, early-career researchers, and technical staff from partner institutions and other organizations interested in the field. This initiative represents a highly specialized training opportunity focused on the most up-to-date techniques for the investigation and preservation of cultural heritage through the use of radiation.

Building on the expertise already developed in the laboratories of the participating universities and on ongoing research activities, the school seeks to offer an interdisciplinary learning experience that fosters dialogue among physicists, conservators, art historians, and heritage professionals. The program includes both theoretical lectures and practical demonstrations, with particular emphasis on non-destructive analytical methods currently used in modern laboratories for material characterization, authentication, and the study of the conservation state of historically and artistically significant objects.

Radiation physics plays a crucial role in this context: the use of ionizing radiation and high-energy charged or neutral particles enables in-depth, non-invasive analyses that are often indispensable when it is essential to preserve the integrity of a work of art.

The Summer School is organized within the framework of IFARP-7, in collaboration with UNC, UBA, CONICET, UNSAM, and IRPS, and under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy in Buenos Aires. The activities will combine theoretical and practical components, leveraging the expertise already available in local laboratories. The techniques presented will include non-invasive methods for material analysis, authentication, and conservation studies.

The program consists of:

4 half-day theory sessions (3 hours each) at the Centro de Altos Estudios de la Universidad de Bologna - Representación en la República Argentina;

2 half-day practical sessions:
(a) at CEPyA (UNSAM, affiliated with CHNET-INFN);
(b) at LIAMA (UBA).

The courses will be delivered in person, with selected online contributions from Italian lecturers scheduled in the morning hours to accommodate the time difference.