Accélérateur Grand Louvre d'analyse élémentaire (AGLAE) is a particle accelerator housed by the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France in the Louvre museum in Paris, France.
AGLAE generates protons and Alpha particles that are emitted outside the accelerator itself, enabling items of virtually any size or type to be examined.
The techniques used at AGLAE include particle-induced X-ray and gamma-ray emission spectrometries.
[1] The data is used to determine the atomic constituents of the cultural items, including trace elements.
An upgrade (NEW AGLAE, using an ANR-10-EQPX-22[2]) in progress in 2015 aims to produce a lower-power beam that will allow more sensitive detectors to overcome this issue, and allow 24-hour operation of the facility.