A Readout System for the STAR Time Projection Chamber
arXiv:nucl-ex/0205014 · doi:10.1016/S0168-9002(02)01965-4
Abstract
We describe the readout electronics for the STAR Time Projection Chamber. The system is made up of 136,608 channels of waveform digitizer, each sampling 512 time samples at 6-12 Mega-samples per second. The noise level is about 1000 electrons, and the dynamic range is 800:1, allowing for good energy loss ($dE/dx$) measurement for particles with energy losses up to 40 times minimum ionizing. The system is functioning well, with more than 99% of the channels working within specifications.
22 pages + 8 separate figures; 2 figures are .jpg photos to appear in Nuclear Instruments and Methods