Thursday 27 February 2025
In a major breakthrough for neutrino research, scientists have developed a sophisticated data acquisition system that can handle the demands of detecting these elusive particles. The system, known as RPC-DAQ (Resistive Plate Chamber Data Acquisition), is designed to work in tandem with the Indian-based Neutrino Observatory’s (INO) massive detector, ICAL (Iron Calorimeter).
ICAL is a behemoth of a device, consisting of 28,800 Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) that are arranged in a stack of iron plates. Each RPC measures just 2 meters by 2 meters and is equipped with strip sensors that detect charged particles generated by neutrino interactions. The detector’s sheer size and complexity requires a sophisticated data acquisition system to handle the vast amounts of data it produces.
The RPC-DAQ system uses a custom-built soft-core processor, NIOS (New Irvine Open System), which runs at a clock speed of 50 MHz. This processor is responsible for controlling the flow of data from each RPC, ensuring that it is transmitted efficiently over an Ethernet network to the back-end servers. The system’s ability to handle high-speed data transmission is crucial, as neutrino interactions occur randomly and quickly.
To achieve this feat, the team employed a number of innovative techniques. For instance, they developed a software-controlled event data acquisition scheme that minimizes dead time by transferring event data to the network buffer in the background. This allows the system to maintain a high trigger rate while also reducing the likelihood of event loss.
Another key feature is the remote firmware upgrade capability, which enables scientists to configure and update the RPC-DAQ modules remotely over an Ethernet connection. This eliminates the need for physical access to each module, making it much easier to maintain and upgrade the detector.
The team has already tested the RPC-DAQ system in a prototype setup known as mini-ICAL, where they were able to successfully acquire event data at a rate of 5 kilohertz with an event size of just 120 bytes. This is a significant achievement, given the complexity of the detector and the vast amounts of data it produces.
The implications of this breakthrough are far-reaching, as it paves the way for more accurate and efficient neutrino detection. Neutrinos are notoriously difficult to detect, as they interact very weakly with matter. The ICAL detector is designed to detect these interactions by detecting the charged particles generated when neutrinos collide with atomic nuclei.
Cite this article: “Breakthrough in Neutrino Detection: RPC-DAQ System Unlocks Efficient Data Acquisition for ICAL Detector”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Neutrino, Detector, Data Acquisition, Resistive Plate Chamber, Iron Calorimeter, Ical, Rpc-Daq, Nios Processor, Ethernet Network, Firmware Upgrade.
