Read Me Syriac Galen Palimpsest XRF Imaging

Authors: Michael B. Toth
Doug Emery
William Sellers
Sam Webb
Nick Edwards
Uwe Bergmann
Date: August 3, 2019

1 Syriac Galen Palimpsest XRF Imaging

This data set includes captured and processed data from the x-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest on Beamlines 6-2 and 10-2 at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Imaging took place on both beamlines initially from 9 to 17 March 2018, and in a follow-on session on Beamline 10-2 from 30 January to 3 February 2019, with a final session on Beamline 6-2 from 6-8 March 2019.

1.1 SLAC Imaging

X-ray absorption spectroscopy imaging of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest was conducted at SLAC, a multi-program national laboratory user facility by Stanford University supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. This imaging was conducted as part of fundamental research which is published or shared broadly with the scientific and scholarly community. This builds on XRF imaging of the Archimedes Palimpsest, and uses some of the same techniques and the metadata extensions developed during the Archimedes Palimpsest XRF imaging at SLAC. The SSRL SPEAR3 3-GeV, high-brightness third-generation storage ring was upgraded in 2004. It operates at 500 mA in top-off mode, with high reliability and low emittance.

1.2 Illumination System

SSRL's extremely bright x-rays were used to image the Syriac Galen Palimpsest. Beam lines 6-2 and 10-2 are wiggler end-stations that are used for hard x-ray transmission x-ray imaging.

1.3 Detectors

The x-ray fluorescence from the SGP was detected with multiple Vortex detectors, each collecting multiple elements. More information on the detectors is contained in Edwards et al, J. Synchrotron Rad, 25, 1565-73 (2018), DOI: 10.1107/S1600577518010202

1.4 XRF Data Integration and Image Capture

The XRF image data are collected and saved at SSRL as HDF5 data files containing the raw data from a multichannel analyzer (MCA). Multiple channels of data are collected and stored, as cited in the metadata document. Data from scans in the original hdf5 and tar files are stored at SLAC and the University of Manchester for additional research. These are minimally processed data from the XRF detectors on each beam line and require special software (such as SMAK) for viewing.

1.5 XRF Imaging Processing

Sam's Microprobe Analysis Kit, or SMAK for short, is a data-processing toolkit for x- ray microprobes. This is used to view and analyze images both for textual analysis and for improvement in the imaging methods and techniques.

2 Rights

All images from Syriac Galen Palimpsest are in the public domain or released under Creative Commons licenses as Free Cultural Works. All significant results are to be publicly disseminated. Use of the SLAC SSRL facility must be acknowledged in all presentations and publications with the following “Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515.” SLAC SSRL should be informed of all publications, theses, awards, patents and other forms of recognition resulting from research conducted fully or partially with the results of this imaging.

3 Syriac Galen Palimpsest XRF Data Set Contents

The following bifolio of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest were imaged at two beamlines at SLAC SSRL in 2018, with some also imaged with an advanced 100 megapixel multispectral imaging system. These XRF data files from this session all have the prefix letters “SGP”:

Beam Line 6-2

031r-038v 031v-038r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
033r-036v 033v-036r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
080r-083v 080v-083r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
103r-106v 103v-106r  
125r-132v 125v-132r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
143r-146v 143v-146r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
152r-153v 152v-153r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
167r-170v 167v-170r  
176r-177v    
191r-194v 191v-194r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
216r-219v 216v-219r  

Beam Line 10-2

152r-153v 152v-153r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
080r-083v 080v-083r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging
190v-195r 190r-195v  
094r-099v    
023r-030v 023v-030r  
199r-202v 199v-202r  
101r-108v    
125r-132v 125v-132r Also 100 MP Multispectral Imaging

The following bifolio of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest were imaged on SSRL beamline 10-2 in January-February 2019. The data files from this imaging session have no prefix letters:

141v-148r
002r-003v
026r-027v
026r-027v
086r-092v
081v-082r
081v-082r
007v-014r
032v-037r
008r-013v
008v-013r
133r-140v
078r-085v

The following bifolio of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest were imaged on SSRL beamline 6-2 in March 2019. The data files from this imaging session have the prefix “G”:

010v-011r
088r-0000
089r-090v
120v-121r
168r-169v
007r-014v
024v-029r
184r-185v
007r-014v
048r-053v
214r-221v

This data set comprises a core content set of digital images of the items imaged. The data set contains the following folders:

Data: Data captured from XRF imaging of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest that have been converted into TIFF images.

Processed: Digitally processed TIFF images from the captured XRF images of the Syriac Galen Palimpsest to reveal unseen features.

README.txt file: This description of the data set in txt form providing an orientation to the data and rights management.

The directory structure, starting from the root is as follows for the XRF data:

ResearchContrib
└── XRF2018-2019
    ├── 002r-003v_R_12200_0_003
    ├── 007v-014rR_12199_0_001
    ├── 008r-013vR_12199_0_001
    ├── 008v-013rR_12199_0_001
    ├── 026r-027vR1_12199_0_001
    ├── 026r-027vR2_12199_0_001
    ├── 032v-037R_12199_0_001
    ├── 078r-085vR_12200_0_001
    ├── 081v-082rR1_12199_0_001
    ├── 081v-082rR2_12199_0_001
    ├── 086r-092vR_12199_0_001
    ├── 133r-140vR_12198_0_001
    ├── 141v-148r_R1_12200_0_001
    ├── G010v-011r_12200_0_001
    ├── G024v-029r_12198_0_001
    ├── G073r-074v_12198_0_001
    ├── G080r-083v_12198_0_001
    ├── G088r-090v_12198_0_002
    ├── G089r-090v_12200_0_002
    ├── G117r-124v_12198_0_001
    ├── G120v-121r_12200_0_002
    ├── G168r-169v_12200_0_001
    ├── G175r-178v_12198_0_001
    ├── G184r-185v_12198_0_002
    ├── G214r-221v_12199_0_002
    ├── G223v-226r_12198_0_001
    ├── SGP_023r_030v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_023r_030v_nobeamfilter_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_023v_030r_nobeamfilter_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_031r_038v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_031v_038r_12200_0_002
    ├── SGP_033r_036v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_033r_036v_ptb_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_033v_036r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_080r_083v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_080v_083r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_094r_099v_pt2_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_101r_108v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_103r_106v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_103v_106r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_143r_146v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_143v_146r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_152r_153v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_152v_153r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_167r_170v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_167v_170r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_176r_177v_12200_0_002
    ├── SGP_190r_195v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_190v_195r_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_191r_194v_12200_0_002
    ├── SGP_191v_194r_12200_0_003
    ├── SGP_191v_194r_b_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_199r_202v_12200_0_001
    ├── SGP_199r_202v_12200_0_002
    ├── SGP_216r_219v_12200_0_002
    ├── SGP_216v_219r_12200_0_001
    └── SGP_216v_219r_ptb_12200_0_001

    ReadMe [This document]
    Metadata Document

3.1 Core Data

For each palimpsest bifolio side, the data set provides captured scans converted to TIFF images and JPEG thumbnail images with metadata. These images should be retained as archival images and will be easiest to read with most image viewers.

1. XRF images captured using SLAC SSRL operating systems and SMAK software were converted from .hdf5 format to 8-bit .TIF format.

The core data includes:

  • Captured Image data consisting of captured XRF scans converted to TIFF. These are individual images from each of the scans created with specific elemental data.
  • Computer Processed images. Images that have been digitally produced through the application of computer algorithms to combine and enhance visibility of text. All processed images are TIFF images and jpegs.
  • Metadata is included in the overall metadata document.

4 General File Conventions

The remainder of the file name, including the extension, indicates the SSRL ID code and file type. The latter are usually:

1. TIFF still image files, ending in 'tif' 3. JPEG still image files ending in 'jpg'