Hydrogen atom cleaning of archeological artefacts

For the development of H+ and H0 beams a new method has been developed based on the expansion of a cascade arc plasma. A partial aim was to develop an intense beam of atomic hydrogen. The result was a 100 A equivalent hydrogen atom beam with an energy conversion efficiency of typically 30–40%. The resulting hydrogen plasma has also been used to do preliminary experiments on restoration treatment of archeological artefacts according to the method of Vepřek et al. The present high density atom rich plasma beam with < 0.4 eV energies and temperatures proved to be effective in the treatment of these artefacts. The treated artefacts showed good erosion resistance compared to untreated as well as conventionally treated samples, notwithstanding the short treatment time of 20 minutes at a temperature of 400°C and the provisional character of the trial experiment.