Focusing a laser on the dirt covering a precious work of art may seem like a dangerous thing to do, but this unexpected technique has found a variety of cleaning applications. Analogies from other fields of materials science can provide guidance for its use, and model experiments ensure it doesn't all end in disaster.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the contributions from our colleagues at IESL-FORTH and EU Research Infrastructure Laserlab-Europe (R113-CT-2003-506350). The conservation of the Acropolis West Frieze is a collaborative project between IESL-FORTH, ESMA (Committee for the Preservation of the Acropolis Monuments) and YSMA (Acropolis Restoration Service).
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Nevin, A., Pouli, P., Georgiou, S. et al. Laser conservation of art. Nature Mater 6, 320–322 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1895
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1895
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