An FPGA based readout system for sub-nanosecond beam background characterization

Accelerator facilities often employ beam loss monitors that report time-averaged loss rates and do not support precise time-of-arrival measurements. We developed an FPGA-based readout system that, in combination with plastic scintillator detectors, enables beam loss measurements with sub-nanosecond time resolution over multi-second acquisitions. We commissioned this system at the (50 - 500 MeV) booster synchrotron of the Karlsruhe Research Accelerator (KARA). The measurement campaign demonstrated the potential of this new technique. First, we characterized the beam background with nanosecond-level timing precision. Secondly, we acquired the accelerator clock and injection triggers, in order to correlate the beam background with beam injection, storage and extraction. In this contribution, we present our FPGA based data acquisition system, highlight first commissioning results and discuss future applications of this technique