The article discusses the development of an absolute timing infrastructure for neutron scattering experiments at NIST. The project aims to attach precise timestamps to various events in the experiments, including neutron detection, motor movements, and ancillary equipment.
The infrastructure will be controlled by a program called NICE, which will interface with different sample environments in a plug-and-play, fault-tolerant manner. This will allow users to program their own equipment using flexible programming libraries in C++, Python, and LabVIEW on different operating systems.
To achieve the highest timing resolution needed for certain experiments, the project will adapt the real-time capabilities of the National Instrument Compact-RIO (cRIO) as the primary sample environment control. Neutron capture events will be timestamped using the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) with a master GPS clock at the NCNR.
The project also involves modifications to the detection hardware of various instruments like MACS, CANDOR, and VSANS. An experiment configuration and meta-data from NICE will be captured and transmitted to a Redpanda messaging system based on Apache KAFKA.
The near-term goal is to add data histogramers and file writers to allow real-time data visualization and histograming for users and traditional file handling. The project also includes a full McStas simulation of MACS to characterize the instrument resolution.
Keywords: Precision Time Protocol, National Instrument Compact-RIO, McStas simulation, Redpanda messaging system, Timing resolution
