The Fermilab Test Beam Facility Data Acquisition System Based on otsdaq

TL;DR

Fermilab's Test Beam Facility implemented a customized otsdaq-based data acquisition system that supports real-time detector readout, track reconstruction, and user-friendly data access, enhancing facility testing capabilities.

Contribution

This paper introduces specific customizations and integrations of otsdaq at Fermilab's FTBF, including real-time processing, advanced trigger management, and web-based control, which are novel enhancements.

Findings

Supports real-time detector readout and track reconstruction

Provides web-based control and online monitoring

Enables high-precision data collection for facility testing

Abstract

The Real-Time Systems Engineering Department of the Scientific Computing Division at Fermilab has deployed set of customizations to our Off-The-Shelf Data Acquisition solution (otsdaq) at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility (FTBF) to read out the beamline instrumentation in support of FTBF users. In addition to reading out several detectors which use various detection technologies and readout hardware, the FTBF Data Acquisition system (DAQ) can perform basic track reconstruction through the facility in real time and provide data to facility users. An advanced prototype smart coincidence module, known as the NIM+, performs trigger distribution and throttling, allowing the beamline instrumentation to be read out at different rates. Spill data are saved to disk for studies of the facility performance, and hit data are also made available on the FTBF network for experiments' use. A web-based run control and configuration GUI are provided, and the online monitoring snapshots created after each beam spill are viewable from any computer connected to the Fermilab network. The integrated DAQ system for the facility provides users with high-precision tracking data along the beamline and a single location for obtaining data from the facility detectors, which set the baseline for testing their own detectors.