Track Lab: extensible data acquisition software for fast pixel detectors, online analysis and automation
Abstract
Fast, incremental evolution of physics instrumentation raises the question of efficient software abstraction and transferability of algorithms across similar technologies. This contribution aims to provide an answer by introducing Track Lab, a modern data acquisition program focusing on extensibility and high performance. Shipping with documented API and more than 20 standard modules, Track Lab allows complex analysis pipelines to be constructed from simple, reusable building blocks. Thanks to multi-threaded infrastructure, data can be clustered, filtered, aggregated and plotted concurrently in real-time. In addition, full hardware support for Timepix2, Timepix3 pixel detectors and embedded photomultiplier systems enables such analysis to be carried out online during data acquisition. Repetitive procedures can be automated with support for motorized stages and X-ray tubes. Freely distributed on 7 popular operating systems and 2 CPU architectures, Track Lab is a versatile tool for high energy physics research.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Instrumentation
- Pub Date:
- January 2024
- DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/19/01/C01008
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2310.08974
- Bibcode:
- 2024JInst..19C1008M
- Keywords:
-
- Data acquisition concepts;
- Data processing methods;
- Detector control systems (detector and experiment monitoring and slow-control systems;
- architecture;
- hardware;
- algorithms;
- databases);
- Pattern recognition;
- cluster finding;
- calibration and fitting methods;
- Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors;
- Computer Science - Distributed;
- Parallel;
- and Cluster Computing;
- Physics - Data Analysis;
- Statistics and Probability
- E-Print:
- Proceedings of the 24th International Workshop on Radiation Imaging Detectors (IWORID 2023)