A Modular Zero-Dead-Time Data Acquisition and Real-Time GPU Processing Platform for High Throughput Physics Experiments

Toma-Stefan Cezar; Marios Maroudas; Dieter Horns

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2605.08845

A Modular Zero-Dead-Time Data Acquisition and Real-Time GPU Processing Platform for High Throughput Physics Experiments

Toma-Stefan Cezar·Marios Maroudas·Dieter Horns

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

High-throughput physics experiments require efficient and increasingly complex real-time processing. This paper presents a modular, software-defined platform combining high-bandwidth PCIe digitizers with consumer GPUs to achieve continuous, zero-dead-time data acquisition. Utilizing NVIDIA CUDA, the system provides a scalable pipeline for real-time fast Fourier transforms and statistical averaging. Benchmarks demonstrate that the platform can sustain continuous processing at sampling rates up to 500 MSa/s, effectively managing data throughputs of 1 GB/s. To validate the in-situ zero-dead-time architecture, end-to-end phase continuity tests were conducted, constraining fractional data loss to below $10^{-12}$. Furthermore, long-term system stability was demonstrated through an uninterrupted one-month data acquisition run. In its current deployment for the WISPLC dark matter experiment, the platform operates at 124 MSa/s with a resolution bandwidth of 0.1 Hz. This implementation enabled a significant reduction in data storage requirements using real-time spectral averaging. The callback-driven software architecture, multi-GPU workload distribution, and custom hardware shielding solutions are detailed, establishing this platform as a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional hardware-based pipelines.

Explore related subjects

physics.ins-det hep-ex

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Toma-Stefan Cezar, Marios Maroudas, Dieter Horns. 2026-05-09. A Modular Zero-Dead-Time Data Acquisition and Real-Time GPU Processing Platform for High Throughput Physics Experiments. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.08845

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

TCAD + Allpi$\text{x}^2$ Simulation study of MALTA2, a Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor for future tracking

In this work, a hybrid simulation framework combining TCAD and Allpi$\text{x}^2$ is presented to investigate the sensor properties of MALTA2, a depleted monolithic active pixel sensor designed for future tracking. The study starts from 3D modeling and transient simulations in TCAD, with generic doping profiles and simple well structures. The resulting doping profiles and electric field are extracted and fed into Allpi$\text{x}^2$ for high-statistics Monte Carlo simulations in both DUT-only and full-telescope mode. Simulations reveal a strong dependence of sensor performance, specifically the detection efficiency and cluster size, on the doping concentration of the N-type blanket at the sensor surface. The doping concentration is then optimized by comparing simulations with measurement data. The active depth of the depleted region of the MALTA2 sensor is estimated in both simulations and measurements using a grazing angle method, in which the sensor is positioned at various inclinations relative to the beam, covering angles from 0 to 60 degrees. Excellent agreement on active depth is obtained with the optimal doping concentration, showing a deviation of 2\% from the measured value at a threshold of 450\,$\text{e}^-$. Consequently, the framework offers a generic toolkit for sensor studies without requiring proprietary information.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

A compact fibre-coupled active beamstop for fast time-resolved monitoring of synchrotron X-ray beams

We have developed a compact fibre-coupled active beamstop for simultaneous interception and time-resolved monitoring of the direct X-ray beam in synchrotron diffraction experiments. The complete beamstop tip has a maximum transverse dimension of 1 mm and incorporates a 700 $μ$m-wide Ce:YAG scintillator. The scintillator converts the intercepted X-rays into visible light, which is transported through a multimode optical fibre to a silicon photodiode at the bottom of the blade that is connected to a dedicated fast amplifier electronics. Tests with a pulsed laser yielded a system decay time of 69.4 ns, consistent with reported luminescence decay times for Ce:YAG. Measurements at the P14.EH2 end station of PETRA III demonstrated the detection of individual bunch signals separated by 192 ns in the 40-bunch operating mode. The active beamstop also provided an in-situ timing signal for synchronising an experimental sequence with the approximately 190 $μ$s transmission window of a mechanical X-ray chopper. The device therefore combines a compact obstruction of the direct beam with fast monitoring of X-ray timing and flux during diffraction data acquisition.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Charge-Carrier transport simulations in diamond detectors with electric-field-dependent mobility and charge-collection-distance-based trapping

Diamond detectors are attractive for operation in harsh radiation environments because they combine radiation tolerance, fast signal formation, and low leakage current. Realistic detector-response simulations require an accurate description of charge-carrier mobility and trapping, which determine both signal amplitude and timing. In this work, we extend \allpix{}, a modular end-to-end detector simulation framework, with diamond-specific transport models. The implementation includes field-dependent mobility parameterizations for electrons and holes and an effective trapping model based on the charge collection distance (CCD), providing a detector-level interface to material quality and radiation-damage measurements. The mobility description is validated in the negligible-trapping limit using single-crystalline CVD diamond by comparing simulated drift velocities and transient-current signals with published reference data. For polycrystalline CVD diamond, the CCD-based trapping model is evaluated using experimentally measured CCD values and compared with laboratory transient-current-technique waveforms. The simulations reproduce the measured drift-velocity behavior in scCVD and the reduced charge collection and degraded transient response observed in pcCVD. The presented implementation enables detector-level studies of charge collection, pulse formation, and timing performance in diamond sensors using experimentally accessible transport and trapping parameters, and provides a practical framework for simulation-driven detector development and radiation-damage studies.

physics.ins-det↗