dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaGPS Time Synchronization in School-Network Cosmic Ray Detectors
| Authors | Hans-Gerd Berns, Toby H. Burnett, Richard Gran, R. Jeffrey Wilkes |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0311079 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0311079 |
| DOI | 10.1109/TNS.2004.829368 |
Abstract
The QuarkNet DAQ card for school-network cosmic ray detectors provides a low-cost alternative to using standard particle and nuclear physics fast pulse electronics modules. Individual detector stations, each consisting of 4 scintillation counter modules, front-end electronics, and a GPS receiver, produce a stream of data in form of ASCII text strings in identifiable set of formats for different functions. The card includes a low-cost GPS receiver module, which permits timestamping event triggers to about 50 nanosecond accuracy in UTC between widely separated sites. The technique used for obtaining precise GPS time employs the 1PPS signal, which is not normally available to users of the commercial GPS module. We had the stock model slightly custom-modified to access this signal. The method for deriving time values was adapted from methods developed for the K2K long-baseline neutrino experiment. Performance of the low-cost GPS module used is compared to that of a more expensive unit with known quality.
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"abstract": "The QuarkNet DAQ card for school-network cosmic ray detectors provides a\nlow-cost alternative to using standard particle and nuclear physics fast pulse\nelectronics modules. Individual detector stations, each consisting of 4\nscintillation counter modules, front-end electronics, and a GPS receiver,\nproduce a stream of data in form of ASCII text strings in identifiable set of\nformats for different functions. The card includes a low-cost GPS receiver\nmodule, which permits timestamping event triggers to about 50 nanosecond\naccuracy in UTC between widely separated sites. The technique used for\nobtaining precise GPS time employs the 1PPS signal, which is not normally\navailable to users of the commercial GPS module. We had the stock model\nslightly custom-modified to access this signal. The method for deriving time\nvalues was adapted from methods developed for the K2K long-baseline neutrino\nexperiment. Performance of the low-cost GPS module used is compared to that of\na more expensive unit with known quality.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0311079",
"authors": [
"Hans-Gerd Berns",
"Toby H. Burnett",
"Richard Gran",
"R. Jeffrey Wilkes"
],
"categories": [
"physics.ins-det"
],
"doi": "10.1109/TNS.2004.829368",
"title": "GPS Time Synchronization in School-Network Cosmic Ray Detectors",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0311079"
},
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