An FPGA-based data acquisition system for directional dark matter detection

Directional dark matter detection seeks to reconstruct the angular distribution of dark matter particles traveling through the laboratory. A directional detector with high spatial resolution has the potential to increase the sensitivity per unit volume by over two orders of magnitude, but requires the development of a high-channel-count, high-speed readout system. This paper describes an FPGA-based digital back-end system to handle a 16Gbps data stream from 103 independent detector channels sampled at 1 MHz. Results of an implementation of this system are presented, along with plans for future development.