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Main Authors: Cezar, Toma-Stefan, Maroudas, Marios, Horns, Dieter
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.08845
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author Cezar, Toma-Stefan
Maroudas, Marios
Horns, Dieter
author_facet Cezar, Toma-Stefan
Maroudas, Marios
Horns, Dieter
contents High-throughput physics experiments require efficient and increasingly complex real-time processing. This paper presents a modular, software-defined platform combining high-bandwidth PCIe digitizers with consumer GPUs to achieve continuous, zero-dead-time data acquisition. Utilizing NVIDIA CUDA, the system provides a scalable pipeline for real-time fast Fourier transforms and statistical averaging. Benchmarks demonstrate that the platform can sustain continuous processing at sampling rates up to 500 MSa/s, effectively managing data throughputs of 1 GB/s. To validate the in-situ zero-dead-time architecture, end-to-end phase continuity tests were conducted, constraining fractional data loss to below $10^{-12}$. Furthermore, long-term system stability was demonstrated through an uninterrupted one-month data acquisition run. In its current deployment for the WISPLC dark matter experiment, the platform operates at 124 MSa/s with a resolution bandwidth of 0.1 Hz. This implementation enabled a significant reduction in data storage requirements using real-time spectral averaging. The callback-driven software architecture, multi-GPU workload distribution, and custom hardware shielding solutions are detailed, establishing this platform as a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional hardware-based pipelines.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_08845
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Modular Zero-Dead-Time Data Acquisition and Real-Time GPU Processing Platform for High Throughput Physics Experiments
Cezar, Toma-Stefan
Maroudas, Marios
Horns, Dieter
Instrumentation and Detectors
High Energy Physics - Experiment
High-throughput physics experiments require efficient and increasingly complex real-time processing. This paper presents a modular, software-defined platform combining high-bandwidth PCIe digitizers with consumer GPUs to achieve continuous, zero-dead-time data acquisition. Utilizing NVIDIA CUDA, the system provides a scalable pipeline for real-time fast Fourier transforms and statistical averaging. Benchmarks demonstrate that the platform can sustain continuous processing at sampling rates up to 500 MSa/s, effectively managing data throughputs of 1 GB/s. To validate the in-situ zero-dead-time architecture, end-to-end phase continuity tests were conducted, constraining fractional data loss to below $10^{-12}$. Furthermore, long-term system stability was demonstrated through an uninterrupted one-month data acquisition run. In its current deployment for the WISPLC dark matter experiment, the platform operates at 124 MSa/s with a resolution bandwidth of 0.1 Hz. This implementation enabled a significant reduction in data storage requirements using real-time spectral averaging. The callback-driven software architecture, multi-GPU workload distribution, and custom hardware shielding solutions are detailed, establishing this platform as a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional hardware-based pipelines.
title A Modular Zero-Dead-Time Data Acquisition and Real-Time GPU Processing Platform for High Throughput Physics Experiments
topic Instrumentation and Detectors
High Energy Physics - Experiment
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.08845