Remote update solution for LHAASO wide field-of-view Cherenkov telescope array electronic readout system

Abstract

The wide field-of-view Cherenkov telescope array (WFCTA), which consists of 18 wide field telescopes, is one of the main detectors used in the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) . The WFCTA collects Cherenkov light and fluorescence signals from cosmic ray showers and converts them into electrical signals that are then processed by an electronic system based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) for later physical analysis. The high altitude of the array and the difficulties involved in disassembling the electronics inside the telescope mean that an electronic remote update solution with high fault tolerance and simple operation is required. The proposed remote update solution for the LHAASO-WFCTA electronic readout system is based on Xilinx Multiboot and is intended to implement remote updates without appended circuits. When compared with other remote update solutions based on Multiboot, the solution used on the WFCTA saves numerous resources in the original FPGA program, eases the timing constraint burden, and enhances security. This solution has been successfully implemented and used in remote updating of FPGAs in the LHAASO-WFCTA several times.