{"id":1612,"date":"2021-05-02T18:18:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T18:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/?page_id=1612"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:59:23","slug":"electronics-and-hardware","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/research\/electronics-and-hardware\/","title":{"rendered":"Electronics and Hardware"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Research<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Electronics and Hardware\u200b<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAt IFIC (Instituto de F\u00edsica Corpuscular), we design and develop advanced electronics that make large-scale neutrino experiments possible. Our work focuses on creating the acquisition systems and timing infrastructure required for detectors that must operate with nanosecond precision in extremely harsh environments. One example is the KM3NeT deep-sea telescope, where thousands of photomultipliers record the faint light signals produced when neutrinos interact. In this setting, reliability is crucial, since the modules are deployed several kilometers below the Mediterranean surface and cannot be serviced once installed.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Figure 1: Central Logic Board, the main acquisition board of the Digital Optical Module.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTo achieve the strict synchronization required by these telescopes, IFIC integrates the White Rabbit protocol into the detector electronics (See Figure 1) [1,2]. White Rabbit allows sub-nanosecond synchronization of hundreds of detector modules spread over tens of kilometers, while also providing fast data transmission back to shore. To support these demanding requirements, IFIC has also developed a high-reliability White Rabbit switch (See Figure 2), designed to ensure robust and continuous timing distribution in large-scale physics experiments. Thanks to this technology, more than 1,200 detection units are already operational, and the array is steadily expanding with additional lines. These electronics provide the backbone for data collection, ensuring that signals from different parts of the telescope can be combined coherently.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Figure 2: Detail of the front page of the White Rabbit Switch developed be the VEGA group.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn addition to the readout systems, IFIC develops and deploys calibration devices, such as laser and LED beacons (See Figure 3) [3], that align the timing of photomultipliers across the detector. These instruments are essential to guarantee that the light signals detected by each module can be precisely reconstructed. Without accurate calibration, the faint traces of neutrino interactions would be lost in the background.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Figure 3: Nanobeacon board, with its mechanical set up for the testing of the light emission.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy combining robust engineering with frontier science, IFIC plays a central role in the new era of multi-messenger astronomy. The electronics, timing systems, calibration devices, and high-reliability networking infrastructure we build not only enable neutrino detection, but also make it possible to correlate neutrino events with other cosmic messengers such as gamma rays, cosmic rays, and gravitational waves. This coordinated approach multiplies the discovery potential of each experiment, paving the way to finally identify the sources of the most energetic particles in the universe.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t[1] \u201cArchitecture and performance of the KM3NeT front-end firmware\u201d, KM3NeT coll.,\u00a0Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems<\/em> 2021<\/b>, 7<\/i>(1), 016001. DOI:10.1117\/1.JATIS.7.1.016001<\/a> [arXiv:1907.06453<\/a>]\n

\n[2] \u201cKM3NeT front-end and readout electronics system: hardware, firmware, and software\u201d, KM3NeT coll.,\u00a0Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems<\/em> 2019<\/b>, 5<\/i>(4), 046001. DOI:10.1117\/1.JATIS.5.4.046001<\/a> [arXiv:1907.06453<\/a>]\n

\n[3] \u201cNanobeacon: A time calibration device for the KM3NeT neutrino telescope\u201d, KM3NeT coll., Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research – section A<\/i> 2022<\/b>, 1040<\/i>(167132). DOI:10.1016\/j.nima.2022.167132<\/span><\/a> [arXiv:2111.00223<\/a>]\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Research Electronics and Hardware\u200b At IFIC (Instituto de F\u00edsica Corpuscular), we design and develop advanced electronics that make large-scale neutrino experiments possible. Our work focuses on creating the acquisition systems and timing infrastructure required for detectors that must operate with nanosecond precision in extremely harsh environments. One example is the KM3NeT deep-sea telescope, where thousands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"full-width.php","meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1612"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2700,"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1612\/revisions\/2700"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/km3net.ific.uv.es\/km3net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}