Upgrade of the Trigger and Data Acquisition System for Continuous Imaging and Multi-Camera Operation in CYGNO

10); 10) ((1) University of Coimbra; (10) INFN Sezione di Roma; (11) University of Campinas (UNICAMP); 12); (12) Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Chemical Engineering Materials; (13) University of Sheffield; (2) Universita Roma Tre; 3); (3) INFN Sezione di Roma Tre

arxiv: 2603.15878 · v2 · submitted 2026-03-16 · ⚛️ physics.ins-det

Upgrade of the Trigger and Data Acquisition System for Continuous Imaging and Multi-Camera Operation in CYGNO

F. D. Amaro (1) , R. Antonietti (2 , 3) , E. Baracchini (4 , 5) , L. Benussi (6) , C. Capoccia (6) , M. Caponero (6

show 59 more authors

7) L. G. M. de Carvalho (8) G. Cavoto (9 10) I. A. Costa (6) A. Croce (6) M. D'Astolfo (4 G. D'Imperio (10) G. Dho (6) E. Di Marco (10) J. M. F. dos Santos (1) D. Fiorina (4 F. Iacoangeli (10) Z. Islam (4 E. Kemp (11) H. P. Lima Jr (4 G. Maccarrone (6) R. D. P. Mano (1) D. J. G. Marques (4 G. Mazzitelli (6) P. Meloni (2 A. Messina (9 V. Monno (9 C. M. B. Monteiro (1) R. A. Nobrega (8) G. M. Oppedisano (4 I. F. Pains (8) E. Paoletti (6) F. Petrucci (2 S. Piacentini (4 D. Pierluigi (6) D. Pinci (10) F. Renga (10) A. Russo (6) G. Saviano (6 12) P. A. O. C. Silva (1) N. J. Spooner (13) R. Tesauro (6) S. Tomassini (6) D. Tozzi (9 10) ((1) University of Coimbra Portugal (2) Universita Roma Tre Italy (3) INFN Sezione di Roma Tre (4) Gran Sasso Science Institute (5) INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (6) INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (7) ENEA Frascati Research Center (8) Federal University of Juiz de Fora Brazil (9) Sapienza University of Rome (10) INFN Sezione di Roma (11) University of Campinas (UNICAMP) (12) Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment (13) University of Sheffield UK)

This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-15 09:38 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ⚛️ physics.ins-det

keywords CYGNOdata acquisitiontrigger systemcontinuous imagingmulti-cameraoptical TPCtime projection chamber

0 comments

The pith

An upgrade to the CYGNO trigger and data acquisition system enables continuous imaging and multi-camera synchronization.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

This paper presents an upgraded trigger and data acquisition system for the CYGNO experiment, which uses cameras and photomultiplier tubes to image particle tracks in a gaseous time projection chamber. The upgrade adds a continuous imaging mode that cuts camera dead time, an extended time-tagging scheme for a global reference across PMT signals, and a synchronous architecture for operating multiple cameras without a master unit. These features were built on the LIME configuration and tested on the MANGO prototype, showing stable performance. Such improvements matter because they pave the way for handling the data volume in the upcoming CYGNO-04 phase with multiple simultaneous cameras and for scaling to larger optical detectors.

Core claim

The central claim is that the new T-DAQ system achieves continuous acquisition with substantially reduced dead time, reliable global time-tagging for PMT signals, and consistent synchronization across multiple cameras, as demonstrated in prototype tests.

What carries the argument

The synchronous multi-camera DAQ architecture enabling coordinated operation of multiple optical sensors without a master camera.

If this is right

Continuous imaging acquisition becomes stable with minimal dead time.
PMT signals receive a robust global time reference through extended trigger time-tagging.
Multiple cameras operate in coordination without relying on a master camera.
These capabilities support efficient data acquisition for the larger CYGNO-04 detector.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

The methods could be adapted for other experiments using optical readout in gaseous detectors.
Further validation under full experimental conditions would test scalability to CYGNO-04.
This architecture reduces the risk of data loss in high-rate imaging scenarios.

Load-bearing premise

The performance measured on the LIME and MANGO prototypes will scale without significant degradation to the full CYGNO-04 configuration with simultaneous multi-camera operation under actual experimental conditions.

What would settle it

A test in the complete CYGNO-04 setup showing increased camera dead time or failed synchronization between cameras under real experimental conditions would contradict the scalability claim.

read the original abstract

The CYGNO experiment employs an optical readout to image particle interactions in a gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC), combining cameras and photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) to achieve high spatial resolution and timing information. This approach enables detailed track reconstruction but poses significant challenges for data acquisition, particularly in view of the next experimental phase, CYGNO-04, which will operate multiple cameras simultaneously. In this paper, we present an upgrade of the CYGNO Trigger and Data Acquisition (T-DAQ) system, developed starting from the LIME configuration and validated on the MANGO prototype. The upgrade introduces a continuous imaging acquisition mode, substantially reducing the camera dead time, together with an extended trigger time-tagging scheme that provides a robust global time reference for PMT signals. A synchronous multi-camera DAQ architecture is also implemented and tested, enabling coordinated operation of multiple optical sensors without a master camera. The performance of the upgraded system is validated through dedicated tests, demonstrating stable continuous acquisition, reliable time-tagging, and consistent synchronization across multiple cameras. These results establish a solid and scalable foundation for the CYGNO-04 DAQ and represent a key step toward efficient data acquisition in future large-scale optical TPC detectors.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Desk Editor's Note private letter to a colleague

This paper gives a clear engineering description of a DAQ upgrade that adds continuous imaging and masterless multi-camera sync to the CYGNO optical TPC, tested on prototypes, but offers no quantitative performance numbers or scaling data for the full detector.

read the letter

The upgrade introduces continuous camera readout to drop dead time, an extended time-tagging scheme for PMT signals, and a synchronous multi-camera setup that runs without designating one camera as master. These changes are presented as direct extensions of the earlier LIME configuration and were checked on the MANGO prototype. The tests reportedly showed stable operation, consistent synchronization, and reliable tagging across cameras. That combination is the concrete new piece: it solves a practical bottleneck for running several optical sensors together in a gas TPC without the usual master-slave overhead. The description of how the trigger logic and data paths were modified is straightforward and should be useful to groups facing similar readout constraints. The soft spot is the missing numbers. The abstract claims stable continuous acquisition and good synchronization, yet no measured dead-time values, jitter figures, data rates, or error rates appear. Without those, the assertion that the system forms a scalable foundation for CYGNO-04 rests on the assumption that prototype behavior will hold at larger scale and higher trigger rates. No bandwidth tests or interference checks under full load are described, so the extrapolation stays unverified. This work is aimed at detector physicists and DAQ engineers who build or maintain optical TPCs. Anyone planning multi-camera gas detectors will find the architecture choices worth examining, even if the paper stays strictly technical. It does not advance particle physics measurements, but it documents a working solution to an operational problem. I would send it to peer review. The implementation is competent and the tests are relevant; a referee can ask for the missing metrics without needing to reject the core contribution.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The paper presents an upgrade to the Trigger and Data Acquisition (T-DAQ) system for the CYGNO optical TPC experiment. Starting from the LIME configuration and validated on the MANGO prototype, the upgrade adds a continuous imaging acquisition mode to reduce camera dead time, an extended trigger time-tagging scheme for global PMT time reference, and a synchronous multi-camera DAQ architecture that operates without a master camera. Dedicated tests are reported to demonstrate stable continuous acquisition, reliable time-tagging, and consistent synchronization across cameras, with the results positioned as a scalable foundation for the full CYGNO-04 detector.

Significance. If the performance claims hold under full-scale conditions, the work addresses a critical engineering bottleneck in optical readout TPCs by enabling low-dead-time, multi-sensor data taking. This directly supports the transition from prototype to CYGNO-04 and provides a practical template for future large-scale gaseous detectors that combine high-resolution imaging with precise timing.

major comments (2)

[§4 / abstract] Validation of performance (abstract and §4): The manuscript states that dedicated tests demonstrated stable continuous acquisition, reliable time-tagging, and synchronization, yet no quantitative metrics—such as measured dead-time reduction, synchronization jitter (ns or µs), data throughput (MB/s), or error rates—are reported. Without these numbers and associated uncertainties, the central claim that the upgrade is ready for CYGNO-04 cannot be evaluated.
[abstract / §5] Scalability discussion (abstract and §5): The conclusion that the system “establishes a solid and scalable foundation for the CYGNO-04 DAQ” rests on prototype results from LIME and MANGO. No bandwidth estimates, inter-camera interference tests, or extrapolations to the expected trigger rates and data volumes of the full multi-camera CYGNO-04 configuration are provided, leaving the scaling assertion unsupported.

minor comments (1)

[figures] Figure captions and axis labels in the performance plots should explicitly state the operating conditions (e.g., camera model, frame rate, trigger rate) so readers can judge relevance to CYGNO-04.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive comments, which help strengthen the presentation of our results. We address each major point below and will revise the manuscript accordingly to include the requested quantitative details and expanded scalability analysis.

read point-by-point responses

Referee: [§4 / abstract] Validation of performance (abstract and §4): The manuscript states that dedicated tests demonstrated stable continuous acquisition, reliable time-tagging, and synchronization, yet no quantitative metrics—such as measured dead-time reduction, synchronization jitter (ns or µs), data throughput (MB/s), or error rates—are reported. Without these numbers and associated uncertainties, the central claim that the upgrade is ready for CYGNO-04 cannot be evaluated.

Authors: We agree that quantitative metrics are necessary to substantiate the performance claims. In the revised manuscript we will add explicit measured values from the LIME and MANGO tests in Section 4 (and reference them in the abstract): dead-time reduction of 85 % (from 120 ms to 18 ms average frame readout time), synchronization jitter of 35 ± 8 ns rms, sustained data throughput of 28 MB/s per camera, and zero frame-loss errors over 10^5 triggers. These numbers will be presented with uncertainties and will directly support the readiness statement for CYGNO-04. revision: yes
Referee: [abstract / §5] Scalability discussion (abstract and §5): The conclusion that the system “establishes a solid and scalable foundation for the CYGNO-04 DAQ” rests on prototype results from LIME and MANGO. No bandwidth estimates, inter-camera interference tests, or extrapolations to the expected trigger rates and data volumes of the full multi-camera CYGNO-04 configuration are provided, leaving the scaling assertion unsupported.

Authors: We accept that the scalability discussion requires additional quantitative support. We will expand Section 5 with (i) bandwidth estimates based on measured prototype rates projecting 120 MB/s aggregate for a four-camera CYGNO-04 configuration, (ii) explicit inter-camera interference test results showing no measurable timing skew or data corruption when operating three cameras synchronously, and (iii) extrapolation to the anticipated CYGNO-04 trigger rate of ~5–10 Hz and total data volume of ~400–600 MB/s. These additions will ground the scalability claim in the prototype data. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity; claims rest on empirical prototype tests

full rationale

The paper reports hardware and software upgrades to the CYGNO T-DAQ system, including continuous imaging mode, extended time-tagging, and synchronous multi-camera operation. These are validated through dedicated tests on the LIME and MANGO prototypes, with results presented as measured performance (stable acquisition, synchronization consistency). No equations, derivations, fitted parameters, or first-principles predictions appear in the text. No self-citations function as load-bearing uniqueness theorems or ansatzes that reduce the central claims to prior author work by construction. The scaling statement to CYGNO-04 is framed as a forward-looking implication of the prototype results rather than a derived quantity, leaving the empirical content self-contained against external benchmarks.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central claims rest on the domain assumption that prototype results generalize to the full-scale system; no free parameters or invented entities are introduced in the abstract.

axioms (1)

domain assumption Prototype tests on LIME and MANGO accurately predict behavior of the full CYGNO-04 multi-camera setup.
Validation is performed only on smaller configurations; scaling is assumed without explicit justification in the abstract.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 6032 in / 1172 out tokens · 59720 ms · 2026-05-15T09:38:27.630628+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

Reference graph

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