Performance of the front-end electronics of the ANTARES neutrino telescope

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the performance of the front-end electronics, specifically the ARS ASICs, used in the ANTARES neutrino telescope, highlighting their functionality, calibration, and long-term stability in deep-sea conditions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed assessment of the ARS chip's performance, including laboratory characterization and long-term operational results in the ANTARES detector.

Findings

ARS chips effectively process and digitize photomultiplier signals

Laboratory tests confirm ARS functionality and calibration accuracy

Long-term deployment shows stable performance of the electronics

Abstract

ANTARES is a high-energy neutrino telescope installed in the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of 2475 m. It consists of a three-dimensional array of optical modules, each containing a large photomultiplier tube. A total of 2700 front-end ASICs named Analogue Ring Samplers (ARS) process the phototube signals, measure their arrival time, amplitude and shape as well as perform monitoring and calibration tasks. The ARS chip processes the analogue signals from the optical modules and converts information into digital data. All the information is transmitted to shore through further multiplexing electronics and an optical link. This paper describes the performance of the ARS chip; results from the functionality and characterization tests in the laboratory are summarized and the long-term performance in the apparatus is illustrated.