Combining X-ray Fluorescence and Monte Carlo Simulation Methods to Differentiate between Tumbaga and Gold-Alloy or...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Archaeometallurgy
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Depleted metals, like ancient Tumbaga artifacts, have a long history of production.
• Characterizing precious artifacts requires non-destructive analysis methods.
• Existing X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) methods struggle to reliably differentiate Tumbaga from gilding or simple alloys.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a non-destructive analytical protocol for Tumbaga artifacts.
• To accurately distinguish between Tumbaga, gilding, and single alloy samples.
• To quantitatively determine the composition of complex alloy structures.

Main Methods:

• Coupling X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) with Monte Carlo simulations.
• Application of the developed protocol to ancient Tumbaga gold samples.
• Comparison of results with existing analytical techniques.

Main Results:

• The new XRF coupled with Monte Carlo simulation approach reliably distinguishes between three manufacturing techniques.
• Accurate quantitative composition analysis of samples was achieved without destructive sampling.
• The method proved effective for analyzing ancient Tumbaga gold samples.

Conclusions:

• This combined XRF and Monte Carlo simulation method offers a powerful new tool for the non-destructive study of complex alloy structures.
• It provides a reliable means to identify and quantify the composition of ancient Tumbaga artifacts.
• The protocol advances the field of archaeometallurgy and materials characterization.