A Distributed GUI-based Computer Control System for Atomic Physics Experiments

TL;DR

This paper presents a distributed, GUI-based control system for atomic physics experiments that enables precise, synchronized timing of complex sequences across multiple hardware servers with high time resolution.

Contribution

It introduces The Cicero Word Generator, a novel distributed control system with a client-server architecture and FPGA-based timing for atomic physics experiments.

Findings

Achieves 100ns time resolution for output sequences.

Supports synchronization of multiple output hardware servers.

Uses FPGA-generated clock for precise timing and reduced buffer sizes.

Abstract

Atomic physics experiments often require a complex sequence of precisely timed computer controlled events. A distributed GUI-based control system designed with such experiments in mind, The Cicero Word Generator, is described. The system makes use of a client-server separation between a user interface for sequence design and a set of output hardware servers. Output hardware servers are designed to use standard National Instruments output cards, but the client-server nature allows this to be extended to other output hardware. Output sequences running on multiple servers and output cards can be synchronized using a shared clock. By using an FPGA-generated variable frequency clock, redundant buffers can be dramatically shortened, and a time resolution of 100ns achieved over effectively arbitrary sequence lengths.