ARTWORK DIAGNOSTICS WITH FIBEROPTIC DIGITAL SPECKLE PATTERN INTERFEROMETRY

The possibility of employing a digital speckle Pattern interferometer with optical fibers for nondestructive testing of artwork has been eva luated. A simple and accurate fiber-optic interferometer, able to perf orm real-time measurements in a hostile environment, has been realized with a minimum of optical components and a minimum of adjustments. As a result a deformation map of wooden panel paintings or mural frescoe s under thermal stress may be depicted. ExperimentaI results, obtained by the application of this interferometer both to laboratory models a nd to mural frescoes in situ, are presented.