Abstract
Early European plucked instruments have recently experienced a great revival, but a few aspects remain unknown (e.g., the gauge of gut strings). Here we report, for the first time, that the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity of oxidized iron, Fe(III), from gut strings at g = 2 increases linearly with age within a few hundred years. The signal increase in the remaining old strings on early instruments can be used to judge if they are as old as or younger than the instrument. Obtaining the authenticity information of gut strings contributes to the revival of the old instruments and the music.
Highlights
Electron spin resonance (ESR) has been utilized as a geochronometer, based upon the increase in the number of trapped electrons and holes in crystal lattices induced by natural radiation with time [1,2,3]
ESR detects unpaired electrons in organic radicals and transition metals in organic substances; the intensity of such ESR signals increases with time, mainly by thermal activation processes
Sample LHE-19 was found in the original case of a guitar, which was made approximately in ca. 1840 by D&A Roundhloff in London, and LHE-44 was obtained from a guitar, estimated to have been made between 1850 and 1860
Summary
Electron spin resonance (ESR) has been utilized as a geochronometer, based upon the increase in the number of trapped electrons and holes in crystal lattices induced by natural radiation with time [1,2,3]. ESR detects unpaired electrons in organic radicals and transition metals in organic substances; the intensity of such ESR signals increases with time, mainly by thermal activation processes. The possibility of dating organic materials using organic radicals was first tested using potato crisps [4]. The day-by-day increase in the organic radical intensity was used to estimate the production date of the potato crisps. ESR signals of organic radicals and Fe(III) in organic matters, e.g., animal skins, papers, silks and mummies were investigated, and the intensity showed a positive correlation with age [5,6,7,8]. Fe(II) in heme-proteins in human blood starts to oxidize to Fe(III) after exposure to air, and the increase in Fe(III) in bloodstains detected by ESR has been suggested for use in forensic investigations [9]
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