Pyrate: a novel system for data transformations, reconstruction and analysis

Abstract

The Pyrate framework provides a dynamic, versatile, and memory-efficient approach to data format transformations, object reconstruction and data analysis in particle physics. The system is implemented with the Python programming language, allowing easy access to the scientific Python ecosystem and commodity big data technologies. Developed within the context of the SABRE South experiment for dark matter direct detection, Pyrate relies on a blackboard design pattern where algorithmic trees are dynamically generated throughout a run where root nodes are managed by a central control unit. The system guarantees an economical usage of memory allocated by algorithms where individual algorithmic instances can be reused for multiple objects. The framework is intended to improve upon the user experience, portability and scalability of offline software systems currently available in the particle physics community with particular attention to medium to small-scale experiments.