The main research activity of the "X-ray imaging Group” concerns the development of innovative acquisition systems for X-ray Digital Radiography and 3D Computed Tomography, for diagnostic applications and non-destructive testing in the medical, industrial and Cultural Heritage fields.
Since the type of objects to be analyzed is very variable in terms of composition and size, the group has developed various systems to cover the largest number of case studies. In particular, three types of tomographic equipments are available: a micro-CT system, a scanner for medium-sized objects (up to about 50 cm) and a third system for large objects. The research group has expertise not only for the development and the setup of the hardware components of the aforementioned systems, but also for writing the software programs devoted to acquisition and reconstruction of tomographic data.
With regard to the research in the Cultural Heritage field, in the past years, collaborations were activated with important museums and restoration institutes, both in Italy and abroad. Thanks to these collaborations, the developed tomographic systems have been used for the investigation (both on-site and in the laboratory) of archeological findings and works of art of different size and composition. High-resolution micro-tomography of small objects (voxel size of few microns) as well as CT of large objects (more than 2 m of size) have been successfully performed. It is worth mentioning, for example, the on-site CT of a large ancient globe (220 cm of diameter) created in 1567 by Egnazio Danti and located at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, the CT of the “Goldfinch Madonna” by Raffaello, the tomographic analysis of two big wooden statues from Japan at the Conservation and Restoration Center “La Venaria Reale” near Turin and, more recently, the CT of a celestial globe built by Vincenzo Coronelli and now preserved at the “Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana” in Venice.