Data acquisition systems for future calorimetry at the International Linear Collider

Abstract

A data acquisition system is described which will be used for the next generation of prototype calorimeters for the International Linear Collider and could also be used for the final system. The design is sufficiently generic such that it should have applications elsewhere, be they other ILC detectors or within High Energy Physics in general: e.g. this could be applied to LHC upgrade apparatus. The concept of moving towards a "backplaneless" readout is pursued. A strong under-pinning thread here is to attempt to make use of commercial components and identify any problems with this approach. Therefore the system should be easily upgradeable, both in terms of ease of acquiring new components and competitive prices. The conceptual design, both hardware and software, of the data acquisition system for the ILC calorimeter will be discussed. Results and tests already done will then be shown indicating both the potential and limitations of the approach.