IPAC'23 - Conference guide

Sound at the speed of light: synchrotron radiation and the study of ancient musical instruments Thursday 11 May / 15:50 -16:30 Room Sala Grande / Palazzo del Cinema Speaker Franco Zanini (Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A.) The structural analysis of historical musical instruments is essential for the definition of restoration and conservation protocols, but also for the study of ancient manufacturing techniques and for the acoustic analysis of these precious objects. The use of synchrotron light microtomography has proved to be the ideal tool for a non-destructive approach in the analysis of instruments of historical importance such as eighteenth-century Italian violins or masterpieces in the history of music such as the first Neanderthal flute and the organs built with paper pipes for the most influential medieval families in Europe. Franco Zanini Franco Zanini graduated in physics at the University of Trieste and carried out research in the field of materials science at the University of Wisconsin. He specialized in Roman Archeology at the University of Arizona and subsequently returned to Italy where he participated in the construction of Elettra, the synchrotron still in operation on the Trieste Karst, where he gave life to the center’s activity in the field of study and of the protection of cultural heritage. He also teaches Physics of Cultural Heritage at the Postgraduate School of Specialization in Archeology of the University of Trieste. But, if he could, he would spend all his time in the Dolomites between ski slopes and rock walls. Entertainment session IPAC’23 / CONFERENCE GUIDE 62 Entertainment session