V2. 1 Update: Forensic Refinements I’ve just uploaded Version 2. 1 of the paper. There are no changes to the core hypothesis or data, but I’ve implemented several "quality of life" improvements that sharpen the document: Dedicated Forensic Plates: Images have been moved to their own section, ensuring they are now directly accessible via the Table of Contents. Citation Audit: Cleaned up several "legacy ghosts" where citations had shifted; all references now correctly anchor to the STURP and ENEA source data. Formatting Fixes: Resolved the LaTeX "? ? ? " errors and figure-alignment issues that cropped up in the previous version. The verdict: If you’re reviewing the work, please use this version. It’s significantly cleaner, fully indexed, and audit-ready. Version 2 Update (January 2026) This major revision transitions the original hypothesis into a comprehensive forensic model. Key updates include: The Proximity Map Hypothesis: A unified mathematical and geometric framework explaining image intensity as a function of source-to-substrate distance (z). Eight Technical Appendices (A–H): Detailed analysis of VUV threshold reduction, "Type I Masking" (the blood-first sequence), and the "Agamemnon Effect" in cranial geometry. Experimental Falsification Criteria: Definition of specific laboratory tests (action spectrum and threshold mapping) required to validate or falsify the photochemical pathway. In Memoriam: Dedicated to the memory of Barrie M. Schwortz (1946–2024), STURP Official Documenting Photographer. Abstract For over a century, the image on the Shroud of Turin has resisted scientific explanation. In 2011, researchers at ENEA demonstrated that vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation at 193 nm can reproduce key image characteristics on linen, but estimated that full-body scaling would require approximately 3. 4 x 10¹3 W of peak power under bare-linen threshold assumptions. This paper proposes that a historically documented boundary condition has been under-modeled: the burial aromatics (myrrh and aloes) acting as UV photosensitizers. By incorporating a sensitizer layer, the required peak power is estimated to drop by a factor of 10³ to 10⁴, potentially shifting the mechanism from technologically prohibitive toward experimentally testable. The "Proximity Map" framework accounts for the Shroud's established macroscopic constraints: photographic negativity, superficiality, 3D encoding, and the absence of image beneath bloodstains.
Brian Naughton (Mon,) studied this question.