From Counts to Control: A C++ DAQ Core for PIGE

Modern nuclear-physics experiments often rely on commercial digitizers for detector readout, yet the vendor-supplied graphical interfaces can limit flexibility and automation. Here we will report on the data-acquisition (DAQ) component of an automated particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) system under development at UMass Lowell for high-throughput PFAS screening. The DAQ is a C++ run-control and online-analysis stack for a CAEN N6724 waveform digitizer which provides register-level read/write access, on-board memory allocation and management, acquisition control, and raw-data readout. This approach enables finer control over run conditions and offers greater flexibility for data manipulation and integration into automated DAQ workflows. The DAQ streams run metrics (rates, baselines, live time) for consumption by the Python supervisor, which can perform simple actions—e.g., timed sample advance—once integrated. The system is under active development; ongoing pulser and lab-source tests guide tuning and validation. Ultimately, this DAQ will reduces setup time, improves measurement consistency, and provides notebook-ready results that anchor full-system automation for PFAS assessment. We will present the software architecture, highlight challenges in register-level debugging, and share lessons learned in performance and stability during development. The project demonstrates how lightweight, open-source-oriented software can extend the usability of commercial digitizers and support more adaptable experimental setups in university research laboratories.