Analysis of ancient ceramics using terahertz imaging and photogrammetry

Imaging using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool for material inspection. However, in the case of samples with inhomogeneous shape and composition, the reliable extraction of spatially varying dielectric properties can be very challenging. Here, we demonstrate a new approach which combines THz-TDS with photogrammetric reconstruction. We show that this technique can be used to estimate the local refractive index of samples with a complex geometry. We employ this method to study samples of ancient pottery, and demonstrate that THz techniques can provide a valuable new tool for this branch of archaeological science.