Data Acquisition System for Thomson Scattering Diagnostics on GDT

This paper describes a data acquisition system for Thomson scattering diagnostics on a gas-dynamic trap (GDT) (the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk, Russia). It allows recording scattered laser radiation pulses of ~10-ns duration with 5-GSPS sampling rate and 14-bit amplitude resolution. The data acquisition system includes eight-channel high-speed recorders and photodetector modules. The photodetector modules are based on avalanche photodiodes and low-noise transimpedance amplifiers. The recording module design uses switched-capacitor array technology.