Abstract

We present a survey on five years of experiments of excimer laser irradiation of linen fabrics, seeking a coloration mechanism able to reproduce the microscopic complexity of the body image embedded onto the Shroud of Turin. We achieved a superficial, Shroud-like coloration in a narrow range of irradiation parameters. We also obtained latent coloration that appears after artificial or natural aging of linen following laser irradiations that, at first, did not generate any visible effect. Most importantly, we have recognized photochemical processes that account for both coloration and latent coloration.

© 2012 Optical Society of America

Coloring linens with excimer lasers to simulate the body image of the Turin Shroud

Giuseppe Baldacchini, Paolo Di Lazzaro, Daniele Murra, and Giulio Fanti
Appl. Opt. 47(9) 1278-1285 (2008)

2D reproduction of the face on the Turin Shroud by infrared femtosecond pulse laser processing

C. Donnet, J. Granier, G. Vergé, Y. Bleu, S. Reynaud, and F. Vocanson
Appl. Opt. 58(9) 2158-2165 (2019)

Investigating the color of the blood stains on archaeological cloths: the case of the Shroud of Turin

A. Di Lascio, P. Di Lazzaro, P. Iacomussi, M. Missori, and D. Murra
Appl. Opt. 57(23) 6626-6631 (2018)

Spectral properties of the Shroud of Turin

S. F. Pellicori
Appl. Opt. 19(12) 1913-1920 (1980)

Analysis of UV photographs of the Shroud of Turin

Thomas McAvoy
Appl. Opt. 58(25) 6958-6965 (2019)