A Quantitative Raman Spectroscopy Investigation of Parchments.

Raman spectroscopy is an innovative technique in the fields of art history and archaeology due to its ability to be non-invasive and non-destructive to its target, whilst still being able to provide a great amount of spectroscopic detail. The molecular information it can provide is a very useful tool for the purposes of artefact identification and authentication. This thesis uses these qualities of the method in an analysis on 2 parchment samples from 2 different eras. Raman profiles for parchments are well documented in literature, however there is little work out there attempting to assess the meaning of the Raman intensity values of the spectra
produced. Using this data, an in depth discussion of the meanings of intensity differences in the spectra with respect to existing literature will be conducted, as well as a quantitative analysis of molecular heterogeneity differences between the samples by calculating a decay constant for the rate of data convergence, an analysis technique new to the field.