Ancient materials research platform

IPANEMA is a joint laboratory from CNRS, the French Ministry of Culture, University Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and MNHN (USR 3461). IPANEMA is a centre for the development of advanced methodologies of material characterization in archaeology, paleo-environments, paleontology and cultural heritage, and the support of synchrotron-based research through external users hosted on the platform. To this aim, IPANEMA develops and provides a set of techniques for preparing specimens, to study artifacts and samples, and statistically analyze collected datasets. IPANEMA is a research institute located at the SOLEIL synchrotron on the Paris-Saclay campus, which develops advanced methods for the characterization of materials for archaeology, paleontology and cultural heritage research. IPANEMA provides access to unique instruments for the photonic study of samples and artefacts, statistical analysis of collected data and support for application to synchrotrons (especially SOLEIL) and other large-scale facilities. Throughout its collaboration, IPANEMA provides strong support to the community of users of heritage materials before, during and after the synchrotron experiment by co-writing research projects involving synchrotron analysis, sample preparation, the development of optimized data collection strategies, and new approaches for processing multidimensional data (space, energy, time, etc.). In this respect, IPANEMA is a unique platform that combines research into method development and support for user communities through long-term collaboration.