Preliminary ERDA experiments at atmospheric pressure have been performed wi
th our external microprobe set-up currently used for the analysis of museum
objects by PIXE, RBS and NRA. The objective was to check the feasibility o
f hydrogen (and deuterium) profiting with an external beam of 3-MeV helium
ions. The standard scattering geometry (incident beam at 15 degrees with re
spect to sample surface and emerging protons or deuterons at 15 degrees in
the forward direction) was kept, but the thin foil absorber was replaced by
helium gas filling the space between the beam spot and the detector over a
distance of about 84 mm. Several standards prepared by ion implantation, w
ith well known H or D depth profiles, were first analysed, which indicated
that the analytical capability was as good as under vacuum. A striking feat
ure is the much lower surface peak than under vacuum, a fact that enhances
the sensitivity for H analysis near the surface. The same type of measureme
nt was then performed on different materials to show the usefulness of the
technique. As a first example, we have checked that the incorporation of H
or D into sapphire crystals during mechanical polishing is below the detect
ion limit. Another example is the measurement of the H content in emeralds
which can be used as an additional compositional criterion for determining
the provenance of emeralds set in museum jewels. The advantages and limitat
ions of our set-up are discussed and several possible applications in the f
ield of cultural heritage are described. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All
rights reserved.