Developing a New Data Acquisition System for the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope

Abstract

The Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope (BUST) is located in the North Caucasus in an underground laboratory at an effective depth of 850 m.w.e. The BUST began working in 1977, and the installation is still in operation. The successful design of the BUST allows it to be used to solve a number of problems in astrophysics and particle physics. The new data acquisition system is designed to record and analyze experimental data with greatly improved measurement characteristics of digital and analog signals. The data acquisition system is based on the VME interface and provides complete compatibility with existing low-level BUST recording electronics. The hodoscope of pulse channels was completely redeveloped and implemented on field-programmed gate array (FPGA) and LVDS chips.