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Saracino G, Ambrosino F, Bonechi L, Cimmino L, D'Alessandro R, D'Errico M, Noli P, Scognamiglio L, Strolin P. Applications of muon absorption radiography to the fields of archaeology and civil engineering. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2018; 377:rsta.2018.0057. [PMID: 30530534 PMCID: PMC6335300 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Muon radiography, also known as muography, is an imaging technique that provides information on the mass density distribution inside large objects. Muons are naturally produced in the interactions of cosmic rays in the Earth's atmosphere. The physical process exploited by muography is the attenuation of the muon flux, that depends on the thickness and density of matter that muons cross in the course of their trajectory. A particle detector with tracking capability allows the measurement of the muons flux as a function of the muon direction. The comparison of the measured muon flux with the expected one gives information on the distribution of the density of matter, in particular, on the presence of cavities. In this article, the measurement performed at Mt. Echia in Naples (Saracino 2017 Sci. Rep. 7, 1181. (doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01277-3)), will be discussed as a practical example of the possible application of muography in archaeology and civil engineering.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Cosmic-ray muography'.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Saracino
- Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - F Ambrosino
- Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - L Bonechi
- INFN sezione di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - L Cimmino
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | - R D'Alessandro
- INFN sezione di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Università di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | | | - P Noli
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | | | - P Strolin
- Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
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D'Alessandro R, Ambrosino F, Baccani G, Bonechi L, Bongi M, Caputo A, Ciaranfi R, Cimmino L, Ciulli V, D'Errico M, Giudicepietro F, Gonzi S, Macedonio G, Masone V, Melon B, Mori N, Noli P, Orazi M, Passeggio P, Peluso R, Saracino G, Scognamiglio L, Strolin P, Vertechi E, Viliani L. Volcanoes in Italy and the role of muon radiography. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2018; 377:rsta.2018.0050. [PMID: 30530551 PMCID: PMC6335311 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cosmic-ray muon radiography (muography), an imaging technique that can provide measurements of rock densities within the top few 100 m of a volcanic cone, has now achieved a spatial resolution of the order of 10 m in optimal detection conditions. Muography provides images of the top region of a volcano edifice with a resolution that is considerably better than that typically achieved with other conventional methods (i.e. gravimetric). We expect such precise measurements, to provide us with information on anomalies in the rock density distribution, which can be affected by dense lava conduits, low-density magma supply paths or the compression with the depth of the overlying soil. The MUon RAdiography of VESuvius (MURAVES) project is now in its final phase of construction and deployment. Up to four muon hodoscopes, each with a surface of roughly 1 m2, will be installed on the slope of Vesuvius and take data for at least 12 months. We will use the muographic profiles, combined with data from gravimetric and seismic measurement campaigns, to determine the stratigraphy of the lava plug at the bottom of the Vesuvius crater, in order to infer potential eruption pathways. While the MURAVES project unfolds, others are using emulsion detectors on Stromboli to study the lava conduits at the top of the volcano. These measurements are ongoing: they have completed two measurement campaigns and are now performing the first data analysis.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Cosmic-ray muography'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaello D'Alessandro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - F Ambrosino
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
- INFN - Napoli, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - G Baccani
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - L Bonechi
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - M Bongi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - A Caputo
- INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - R Ciaranfi
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - L Cimmino
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - V Ciulli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - M D'Errico
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - F Giudicepietro
- INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - S Gonzi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - G Macedonio
- INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - V Masone
- INFN - Napoli, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - B Melon
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - N Mori
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
| | - P Noli
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - M Orazi
- INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - P Passeggio
- INFN - Napoli, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - R Peluso
- INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - G Saracino
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
- INFN - Napoli, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - L Scognamiglio
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - P Strolin
- Department of Physics, University of Naples, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
- INFN - Napoli, Via Cinthia, Napoli 80126, Italy
| | - E Vertechi
- INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli 80100, Italy
| | - L Viliani
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
- INFN - Firenze, Via Sansone 1, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
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Saracino G, Amato L, Ambrosino F, Antonucci G, Bonechi L, Cimmino L, Consiglio L, Alessandro RD', Luzio ED, Minin G, Noli P, Scognamiglio L, Strolin P, Varriale A. Imaging of underground cavities with cosmic-ray muons from observations at Mt. Echia (Naples). Sci Rep 2017; 7:1181. [PMID: 28446789 PMCID: PMC5430851 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01277-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Muography is an imaging technique based on the measurement of absorption profiles for muons as they pass through rocks and earth. Muons are produced in the interactions of high-energy cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere. The technique is conceptually similar to usual X-ray radiography, but with extended capabilities of investigating over much larger thicknesses of matter thanks to the penetrating power of high-energy muons. Over the centuries a complex system of cavities has been excavated in the yellow tuff of Mt. Echia, the site of the earliest settlement of the city of Naples in the 8th century BC. A new generation muon detector designed by us, was installed under a total rock overburden of about 40 metres. A 26 days pilot run provided about 14 millions of muon events. A comparison of the measured and expected muon fluxes improved the knowledge of the average rock density. The observation of known cavities proved the validity of the muographic technique. Hints on the existence of a so far unknown cavity was obtained. The success of the investigation reported here demonstrates the substantial progress of muography in underground imaging and is likely to open new avenues for its widespread utilisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Saracino
- Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy. .,INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
| | - L Amato
- TECNO-IN S.P.A., Naples, Italy
| | - F Ambrosino
- Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.,INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | | | - L Bonechi
- INFN sezione di Firenze, Naples, Italy
| | - L Cimmino
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | | | - R D ' Alessandro
- INFN sezione di Firenze, Naples, Italy.,Università di Firenze, Naples, Italy
| | - E De Luzio
- Associazione Culturale Borbonica Sotterranea, Naples, Italy
| | - G Minin
- Associazione Culturale Borbonica Sotterranea, Naples, Italy
| | - P Noli
- INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
| | | | - P Strolin
- Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.,INFN sezione di Napoli, Naples, Italy
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