Muon Lifetime Measurement and Introduction to the use of FPGAs in Experimental Physics
- Instituto de Fisica y Matematicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo. Apartado Postal 2-82, C.P. 58040, Morelia, Mich. (Mexico)
During the laboratory sessions at the Workshop, the students used a simple experimental setup to measure the muon lifetime with a 10% statistical error. The muon detector consisted of a sealed container, filled with liquid scintillator, coupled to a 2.5'' photomultiplier (PMT). A personal computer (PC) was used to control a digital oscilloscope which directly measured the time interval between two consecutive PMT pulses in a time window of 20 {mu}s. The students were also introduced to the use of root to analyze the muon data and to measure the muon lifetime. They were also presented with a basic introduction to the application of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in data acquisition (DAQ) systems by means of examples. We started with a brief introduction to the VHDL language and the software package used to program FPGAs and PROMs on a commercial FPGA development board. They learned to program FPGAs for handling data transfers using the RS-232 port of a PC. They were also introduced to the concepts of circular RAMs (Random Access Memory) and FIFO (First-In First-Out) memories in the context of fast and efficient DAQ systems. We emphasized the way in which inexpensive FPGA-based electronics replaces the use of traditionally used electronics modules, such as NIM, CAMAC, FASTBUS, VME, etc., to construct fast and powerful DAQ systems.
- OSTI ID:
- 21149099
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1026, Issue 1; Conference: 11. Mexican workshop on particles and fields, Tuxtla Gutierrez (Mexico), 7-12 Nov 2007; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2965049; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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