The Warren Lab's recent use of pump-probe microscopy for effective art restoration was featured in Laser Focus World. The lab built upon their mode-locked laser systems from the early 2000's, using pump-probe microscopy—a nonlinear optical imaging technique used to study chemical reactions. The lab uses ultrafast laser pulses of near-infrared (IR) light to allow for the identification of chemical compounds present in a paint pigment sample without invasive means. The team is now working to develop a smaller, portable setup to conduct tests on paintings that are too large and/or delicate to move to an off-site lab. Read more about the Warren lab's recent work with 3-D imaging of artificially degraded CdS paints by pump-probe microscopy in the Journal of Physics: Photonics available here.
Chemistry
