This thesis aims to investigate the added value of digital reconstruction technology in archaeological museums. Recent wars and conflict zones have made the world aware again of the vulnerability...Show moreThis thesis aims to investigate the added value of digital reconstruction technology in archaeological museums. Recent wars and conflict zones have made the world aware again of the vulnerability of the archaeological record. Therefore, the reproduction and reconstruction of archaeological material become more relevant to archaeological museums. New cutting edge techniques make museums able to perform admirable results for the communication about the content of the exhibition, the objects themselves and the museum. However, these technologies, methods and devices have both advantages and disadvantages. What defines them to be of added value to the archaeological museum? The following research question has been composed for this study: How can digital reconstruction techniques and devices be of added value to the transfer of the meaning and content of archaeological objects in archaeological museums? This research question is divided into several subquestions and answered in the three chapters this study contains. The first chapter will discuss the definition and history of reconstruction in archaeological museums, the second includes the first case study (Nineveh - The Great City ) and the third chapter includes the second case study ( Etruscans. Eminent Woman, Powerful Men). The study is set up as an inductive research because no applicable theories about added value were found in this field of research. The study will analyse academic literature, reviews, official documents published by the museums, interviews and questionnaires. It can be concluded that the digital reconstruction of the Cerveteri Tomb and the digital devices in the Nineveh exhibition were of added value in three ways: to the archaeological museum and archaeological research, the archaeological material and the visitors of archaeological museums. During the process of conducting this study, critical notes and limitations appeared. Important critical notes were the undefined expectations between the technicians and the museum professionals and the difficulties with communicating about the complex framework of questions and choices behind a reconstruction. The visitor only observes the end product of the digital technology but is not part of the process behind it, while this might be valuable to understand. Moreover, no clear answers can yet be made about if the increase in the amount of digital technology is of added value per se. There is still a long way to go to answer and solve all the questions, problems and limitations that are indirectly connected to digital technology in museums. Questions that should be answered by both museums and visitors. It is identified that authenticity is a key concept that is examined as the backbone of many issues, and it should, therefore, be better understood to analyze, interpret and initiate new future projects.Show less
Self-propelling microparticles are of great interest to microtechnology, but research on complex particle shapes remains limited as few methods exist to produce such particles. Microscale 3D...Show moreSelf-propelling microparticles are of great interest to microtechnology, but research on complex particle shapes remains limited as few methods exist to produce such particles. Microscale 3D-printing could be a very useful tool in solving this problem. Here the method of 3D-printed particles is applied to create particles shaped like half-grooved rods with platinum-coated tips, with the goal of investigating the theory that slip has a significant influence on the movement of Janus swimmers. These particles exhibited a spread in velocities of which the average was slightly higher if the grooved side was facing towards the substrate than if it was facing away from it. It was also hypothesized that fluid flow and slip might have an influence on the preferred axial orientation of the particle, but no significant difference was found in the distributions of orientation compared to particles in water. A control group of rods without grooves showed an average velocity that was significantly slower than that of the grooved rods in either orientation. These results support the idea that the velocity of active particles is influenced by the particles' slip.Show less
In this thesis we explored various characterisation techniques that can be used to analyse lenses, including the characterisation of a focus and the characterisation of spherical aberration. We...Show moreIn this thesis we explored various characterisation techniques that can be used to analyse lenses, including the characterisation of a focus and the characterisation of spherical aberration. We used these techniques to analyse two near perfect lenses. We also designed and analysed seven lenses that were printed using the Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT 3d printer. From this analysis we found that 3d-printed lenses performed as decent lenses. The waist of the focus, produced by the lenses, was smaller than 1 $\mu$m for all lenses. This was within 3 times the diffraction limited waist and the intensity in the focus was up to 360 ($\pm$ 30) times higher than if the lens had not been there. The Strehl ratio of each of the 3d printed lenses has been estimated, which all lie between 0.007 and 0.023. We found that the printed lenses behaved in a predictable manner and even though the micro-lenses show defects under optical inspection, their behaviour is predictable. We attempted to find the limits in quality, quantity and size that can be achieved using the Nanoscribe PPGT and made a beginning in answering this question. We found that micro-lenses created with the Nanoscribe PPGT can be used by the Quantum Optics department to enhance the intensity by acting as solid immersion lenses.Show less
The ability to print objects in three-dimensions is a new form of copying that has recently entered the art world. Even though we are familiar with the replication of art, there is a rising...Show moreThe ability to print objects in three-dimensions is a new form of copying that has recently entered the art world. Even though we are familiar with the replication of art, there is a rising awareness of the existence of replicating famous artworks through 3D printing for it offers something new compared to previous replication methods (e.g. photography and film). With 3D technologies it is possible to replicate both texture and the visual qualities of art at a high resolution including every minor detail at a very fast pace. Moreover, the prints are made of polymer, a material resistant to environmental changes. With the rapid speed at which technology has been developing in the twenty-first century it will only be a matter of time before 3D prints become more accurate, cheaper to manufacture and – because of the internet and social media – accessible to almost everyone. It is inevitable that a large quantity of high quality one–to–one replications of original artworks will be introduced on the art market, in museums and in people’s homes. This thesis tries to investigate what the existence of indistinguishable prints will mean for the perception and authenticity of the original artwork and whether or not 3D printing can be used in the advantage of the original as a tool to conserve the original. Furthermore this thesis touches upon the possibility of the authentication of the replica and what this will mean for the original work of art in the present and future.Show less
