An Overview of the Data Acquisition System in the KATRIN Experiment

The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) Experiment is a next generation tritium $\beta$-decay experiment designed to make a model-independent measurement of the $\nu_{e}$-mass with an estimated sensitivity of 0.2 eV/$c^{2}$. This would represent an order of magnitude improvement in the $\nu_{e}$-mass sensitivity compared to previous tritium beta-decay experiments. The basic function of the Data Acquisition System (DAQ) is to process and store signals from all detector modules within the KATRIN experimental setup. In order to reach the specified $\nu_{e}$-mass sensitivity, the KATRIN DAQ must be able to process event rates over a range spanning a few mHz for $\nu_{e}$-mass measurements to MHz for calibration measurements. A multi-user graphical Object-oriented Real-time Control and Acquisition (ORCA) interface serves as the software that is employed to readout the DAQ electronics. In this talk, the KATRIN DAQ electronics as well as the ORCA software interface will be discussed.