5. Outlook and developments

In this article, we have attempted to present the potential of THz radiation for the analysis of objects from our cultural heritage. The aim was also to provide answers to the following questions:

• What role does THz radiation play in the analysis and protection of cultural heritage objects?

• How does it compare with other existing techniques (UV, visible, infrared, X-ray, etc.)?

• And more broadly, what is the future of THz technology in the study of heritage materials, taking into account the perpetual developments in THz sources and detectors?

To this end, we have developed two different and complementary portable THz imaging devices, whose main properties are summarized here:

• pulsed THz imaging...