Real-time data acquisition and computation for the SSC using optical and electronic technologies

The authors discuss combinations of optical and electronic technologies that may be able to address major data-filtering and data-analysis problems at the SSC. Novel scintillation detectors and optical readout may permit the use of optical processing techniques for trigger decisions and particle tracking. Very-high-speed fiberoptic local-area networks will be necessary to pipeline data from the detectors to the triggers and from the triggers to computers. High-speed, few-processor MIMD superconductors with advanced fiberoptic I/O technology offer a usable, cost-effective alternative to the microprocessor farms currently proposed for event selection and analysis for the SSC. The use of a real-time operating system that provides standard programming tools will facilitate all tasks, from reprogramming the detectors' event-selection criteria to detector simulation and event analysis. 34 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab