Abstract

The Shroud of Turin displays a weak front and back body image which inter alia is very superficial and possesses three-dimensional properties. Up to now it has been impossible to reproduce all its characteristics at the same time albeit several attempts were made in many laboratories. But lately, coloration similar to that of the Shroud has been imprinted on dry linen cloths with a powerful VUV radiation of an excimer laser, which however does not exclude the fact that a different laser source could do the same. In fact, a new hypothesis is advanced here which is based on the irradiation of wet linen cloths with a short and powerful pulse of a CO₂laser. Besides the well known features of pulsed IR laser, the hypothesis is based solely on the peculiar optical and thermal properties of water and vapor, and therein an experimental investigation is proposed to prove its validity.

Key words: Body image, Shroud of Turin, light, lasers, heat, vapor.