Accelerating nuclear physics experiments using a model-integrated triggering system

Abstract

This paper concerns the development of a real-time, reconfigurable hardware triggering system that aims to facilitate setting up and capturing of data from nuclear physics experiment done at iThemba LABS in South Africa. This system replaces an analogue triggering system that involved time-consuming configuration tasks of Nuclear Instrumentation Module (NIM) circuitry. The new system is a model-integrated computing solution built on Scilab, and provides a means to translate a visual configuration model into code to program a FPGA-based reconfigurable hardware platform. This reconfigurable platform replaces many connections and components of the old system that had to be wired-up manually for experiments. A comparative test of the old and new systems was done, including analysis of safe-timing operation. The new system has a number of advantages, in particular: saving time in setting up experiments, a facility to timeshare expensive NIM electronics, and reducing wear and tear on equipment. But the testing also showed difficulties with the new system, such as longer latencies and jitter compared to the old system. Solutions for these problems are reviewed; but further work is needed to improve responsiveness and scalability of the new system to make it applicable to a wider range of the experiments done at iThemba LABS.