Home 5 Projects 5 Widening the frontiers in forensic profiling: probing burned human bones with neutron diffraction (Duration: 2018)

Widening the frontiers in forensic profiling: probing burned human bones with neutron diffraction (Duration: 2018)

Duration: 2018

Abstract: Neutron diffraction techniques are applied to the study of burned human skeletal remains, for assessing heat-induced changes associated to alterations in bone´s microcrystallinity. The results, coupled to vibrational spectroscopy data (INS, Raman, FTIR), are expected to provide an improved understanding of the structural changes undergone by bone upon burning. A quantitative relationship between spectroscopic and diffraction parameters, dimensional variations and specific burning conditions is sought, with a view to relate burned to pre-burned parameters.

Coordinator (PI): Luís Batista de Carvalho (University of Coimbra)

Participant: David Gonçalves (CIAS)

Financial support: Science and Technology Facilities Council (Portugal)

Reference: ISIS Beamtime Application – RB1810025 (GEM)