Application of non-destructive neutron resonance capture analysis for investigation of women’s Old Believer cross dating back to the second half of the 17th century

Abstract

Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA) is presently being developed at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) to determine the elemental composition of samples. The NRCA is a nondestructive method that allows measuring objects’ bulk composition. The procedure is based on detecting neutron resonances in radiative capture and the measurement of the yield of reaction products in these resonances. The experiments are carried out at the Intense REsonance Neutron source (IREN). In this study, we applied the NRCA to investigate an archaeological object provided by the Museum and Exhibition Complex (MVK) "Volokolamsk Kremlin". The object was a women’s Old Believer cross (second half of the 17th century) found in the Moscow region, Volokolamsk district, the village of Chubarovo.