Shroud of Turin ultraviolet light images: color and information content.

Abstract

This paper builds on an earlier paper [Appl. Opt.58, 6958 (2019)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.58.006958] that analyzed web ultraviolet light (uv) photographs of the Shroud of Turin. In the earlier paper, it is shown that the Shroud exhibits very unique spatially varying uv fluorescence properties. The web uv images have colors significantly different from versions of them published in 1981. This paper examines whether the color difference indicates that the web images have deteriorated over time and if so whether information content in them is suspect. The limitations of the methodology used are discussed in the Introduction. Subject to these limitations, it is shown that deterioration probably has not occurred and that significant information can be extracted through image processing of the uv web images.