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arxiv: 2604.00850 · v2 · submitted 2026-04-01 · ⚛️ physics.ins-det · hep-ex

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A MIDAS-based Data Acquisition System for Gaseous Detectors

Ke Han, Leyan Li, Shaobo Wang, Tao Li, Wei Wang, Yuanchun Liu, Yu Chen

Authors on Pith no claims yet

Pith reviewed 2026-05-13 22:05 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ⚛️ physics.ins-det hep-ex
keywords data acquisition systemMIDAS frameworkgaseous detectorsPandaX-III experimentneutrinoless double beta decayreal-time monitoringDAQ softwaresignal waveforms
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The pith

A MIDAS-based data acquisition system provides unified workflow and real-time monitoring for gaseous detectors.

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

The paper describes a data acquisition software based on the MIDAS framework designed specifically for gaseous detectors. It includes tools for parameter configuration, data acquisition, decoding, storage, web-based control, and real-time monitoring of waveforms and energy spectra. This setup creates a seamless process from data collection to offline analysis. The system has been deployed in the PandaX-III experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay and tested with different electronics setups. A reader would care because effective DAQ systems are crucial for handling signals in sensitive particle physics detectors.

Core claim

The MIDAS-based DAQ software implements comprehensive functions for gaseous detectors, including configuration, acquisition, decoding, and storage, with web-based operation and real-time monitoring capabilities. It establishes a fully unified workflow from data acquisition to offline analysis, enabling real-time visualization of signal waveforms and energy spectra. The system has been successfully deployed in the PandaX-III experiment and validated through tests with two electronics setups and joint commissioning with the detector.

What carries the argument

The MIDAS framework with custom modules for gaseous detector signal handling, which supports the unified data workflow and real-time visualization.

If this is right

  • The system enables real-time visualization of signal waveforms and energy spectra during operation.
  • It supports validation across multiple electronics setups.
  • It facilitates joint commissioning between the DAQ and the gaseous detector hardware.
  • The unified workflow reduces the gap between data taking and analysis in experiments like PandaX-III.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

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

  • This DAQ approach could potentially be extended to other types of detectors beyond gaseous ones.
  • Further scaling might reveal needs for additional optimizations in data handling rates.
  • Real-time monitoring features could improve experiment efficiency by allowing immediate adjustments.

Load-bearing premise

The MIDAS framework adaptations will remain stable and sufficient for full detector operation without unforeseen hardware incompatibilities.

What would settle it

A test showing data corruption, loss, or instability during prolonged full-scale operation in the PandaX-III detector would indicate the claim of successful validation is incorrect.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2604.00850 by Ke Han, Leyan Li, Shaobo Wang, Tao Li, Wei Wang, Yuanchun Liu, Yu Chen.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: The structure of electronics system of PandaX-III, consisting of FEC, [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p002_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: The two different electronics systems of PandaX-III: The front-end electronics FEC (a), and the back-end electronics TDCM (b) and DCM (c) of the [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: Schematic diagram of the main workflow for the DAQ software, including command transmission from the web client to the backend, data exchange [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: The main interface of the DAQ web page includes the data acquisition [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: The simplified data format of the DAQ. The purple part in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: The flow follows the hierarchical path: /Equipment /Tdcm [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_6.png] view at source ↗
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: The relationship between the event rate, data transfer rate, and signal [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p007_8.png] view at source ↗
Figure 7
Figure 7. Figure 7: Detector vessel and readout module. (a) A stainless steel vessel [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p007_7.png] view at source ↗
Figure 9
Figure 9. Figure 9: Physical signals under different parameters, noise waveforms, and self-calibrated signals. (a) [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p008_9.png] view at source ↗
Figure 10
Figure 10. Figure 10: Hitmap and energy spectrum from the single readout module test. (a) A hit position map of [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p010_10.png] view at source ↗
Figure 11
Figure 11. Figure 11: The readout plane and hitmap for the seven readout modules. (a) The readout plane of seven readout modules. (b) A hit position map test with [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p010_11.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

We present a data acquisition~(DAQ) software based on the MIDAS framework, specifically for gaseous detectors to support the detector deployments and applications. It implements a comprehensive suite of functions, including parameter configuration, data acquisition, decoding, and storage, alongside web-based operation and real-time monitoring capabilities. We establish a fully unified workflow spanning data acquisition to offline analysis, enabling real-time visualization of signal waveforms and energy spectra. The system has been successfully deployed in the PandaX-III experiment, which utilized a high-pressure gaseous detector to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Its performance and stability have been validated through tests involving two distinct electronics setups and joint commissioning with the detector.

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.

Referee Report

2 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript describes a MIDAS-based data acquisition system for gaseous detectors, implementing parameter configuration, data acquisition, decoding, storage, web-based operation, and real-time monitoring of waveforms and energy spectra. It establishes a unified workflow from acquisition to offline analysis and reports successful deployment in the PandaX-III high-pressure gaseous TPC experiment for neutrinoless double beta decay searches, with validation via tests on two electronics setups and joint detector commissioning.

Significance. If the reported stability and performance hold at full scale, the work supplies a practical, reusable DAQ implementation that integrates real-time monitoring with offline analysis for gaseous TPC experiments. This could reduce development overhead for similar rare-event searches by leveraging the established MIDAS framework with targeted adaptations for detector signal handling.

major comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: the central claim that 'performance and stability have been validated' is not supported by any quantitative metrics (data throughput, channel count, error rates, long-term uptime, or noise performance under high-pressure conditions), leaving the deployment assertion unsubstantiated.
  2. [Validation and Commissioning] Validation description (main text): tests are restricted to two distinct electronics setups plus joint commissioning; without explicit scaling analysis or results for the full PandaX-III channel count and high-pressure gaseous TPC environment, the stability claim for production operation does not follow from the presented evidence.
minor comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: the notation 'data acquisition~(DAQ)' is acceptable but ensure consistent first-use definition of all acronyms and abbreviations in the main text.
  2. [System Description] Overall: the manuscript would benefit from a dedicated section or table summarizing the custom MIDAS module interfaces and data formats to improve reproducibility for other gaseous-detector groups.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 1 unresolved

We thank the referee for the careful review and constructive comments. We have revised the abstract and expanded the validation section to address the concerns about quantitative support and scaling, while clarifying the scope of the presented results.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: the central claim that 'performance and stability have been validated' is not supported by any quantitative metrics (data throughput, channel count, error rates, long-term uptime, or noise performance under high-pressure conditions), leaving the deployment assertion unsubstantiated.

    Authors: We agree that the original abstract phrasing overstated the validation without direct metrics. The abstract has been revised to state that the system 'has been successfully deployed in the PandaX-III experiment' and that 'its functionality has been validated through tests involving two distinct electronics setups and joint commissioning with the detector.' We have also added explicit references to test results, including channel counts handled and observed data throughput during commissioning, in the main text to substantiate the claims. revision: yes

  2. Referee: [Validation and Commissioning] Validation description (main text): tests are restricted to two distinct electronics setups plus joint commissioning; without explicit scaling analysis or results for the full PandaX-III channel count and high-pressure gaseous TPC environment, the stability claim for production operation does not follow from the presented evidence.

    Authors: The two electronics setups correspond to the configurations used across PandaX-III detector modules, and the joint commissioning was performed in the high-pressure gaseous TPC environment. We have added a dedicated paragraph in the validation section providing a scaling analysis based on the modular MIDAS architecture, showing how data rates and monitoring scale with channel count. We have also clarified that the presented results cover the tested configurations and that full-array long-term production data will be reported separately as operations continue. revision: partial

standing simulated objections not resolved
  • Comprehensive long-term quantitative metrics (uptime, error rates, noise performance) at the complete PandaX-III channel count under sustained high-pressure conditions.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: descriptive engineering report with no derivations

full rationale

The paper is a software implementation report describing a MIDAS-based DAQ system for gaseous detectors. It contains no equations, fitted parameters, predictions, or derivation chains that could reduce to inputs by construction. Claims of deployment and validation rest on described tests with two electronics setups and joint commissioning, without any self-definitional loops, fitted-input predictions, or load-bearing self-citations. The work is self-contained as an engineering description.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

This is an engineering software paper; no free parameters, scientific axioms, or invented physical entities are involved. The work rests on standard assumptions about MIDAS framework compatibility and detector electronics interfaces.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5419 in / 975 out tokens · 28744 ms · 2026-05-13T22:05:44.255486+00:00 · methodology

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Reference graph

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