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Title: The Continuous Readout Stream of the MicroBooNE Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber for Detection of Supernova Neutrinos

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1573229· OSTI ID:1573229

The MicroBooNE Continuous Readout Stream is a parallel readout of the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) which enables detection of non-beam events such as those from a supernova neutrino burst. The low energies of these neutrinos and the intense cosmic-ray flux due to the near-surface detector location makes triggering on these events very challenging. Instead, MicroBooNE has pioneered a novel approach for detecting supernova neutrinos relying on a delayed trigger generated by SNEWS (the Supernova Early Warning System). The continuous readout of the LArTPC is achieved through the use of real-time compression algorithms (zero suppression and Huffman compression) implemented in an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) in the readout electronics. We present the results of the optimization of the data reduction algorithms, and their operational performance. In order to demonstrate the capability of the continuous stream to detect low-energy electrons, a sample of Michel electrons from stopping cosmic-ray muons is reconstructed and compared to a similar sample from the lossless triggered readout stream.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Contributing Organization:
MicroBooNE Collaboration
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1573229
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-MICROBOONE-NOTE-1030-PUB; MICROBOONE-NOTE-1030-PUB; oai:inspirehep.net:1762996; TRN: US2000088
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English