User Logic Development for the Muon Identifier Common Readout Unit for the ALICE Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider

TL;DR

This paper details the development of custom user logic for the ALICE Muon Identifier's readout system, enabling efficient real-time data processing in the upgraded LHC environment.

Contribution

It introduces a modular, prototype user logic design for the ALICE MID that interfaces with the CRU, enhancing real-time data handling capabilities.

Findings

Prototype meets system requirements effectively

Modular design facilitates future feature integration

Enables real-time data processing for high data rates

Abstract

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is undergoing a major upgrade with the goal of increasing the luminosity as more statistics are needed for precision measurements. The presented work pertains to the corresponding upgrade of the ALICE Muon Trigger (MTR) Detector, now named the Muon Identifier (MID). Previously operated in a triggered readout manner, this detector has transitioned to continuous readout with time-delimited data payloads. However, this results in data rates much higher than the previous operation and hence a new Online-Offline (O2) computing system is also being developed for real-time data processing to reduce the storage requirements. Part of the O2 System is based on FPGA technology and is known as the Common Readout Unit (CRU). Being common to many detectors necessitates the development of custom user logic per detector. This work concerns the development of the ALICE MID user logic which will interface to the core CRU firmware and perform the required data processing. It presents the development of a conceptual design and a prototype for the user logic. The resulting prototype shows the ability to meet the established requirements in an effective and optimized manner. Additionally, the modular design approach employed, allows for more features to be easily introduced.