On-line quick-look analysis and archiving system for the calibration of the PICsIT high-energy detector on the INTEGRAL satellite

The PICsIT instrument is the high energy imager which together with a low-energy plane comprises one of the two main detectors of the INTEGRAL gamma-ray satellite due to be launched by ESA in late 2001. PICsIT consists of 8 identical modules of 512 Caesium Iodide (CsI) scintillation crystals. The calibration of the detection plane is performed at module level (in three parallel chains), and consists of characterizing each pixel in terms of resolution, gain and efficiency to a very high precision. The high precision and large number of pixels leads to the production of very large amounts of data which then leads to the requirement for a system capable of accumulating at a very high bit-rate; of archiving the data in a suitable format for later analysis; of visualizing these data as they are accumulated in a quick-look fashion in order to control the correct set-up of the test arrangement and the detector functionality during the test and of partially analyzing these extremely large quantities of data on-line so as to obtain the results essential for proceeding with the test process in a rapid manner and not to impede the data accumulation process. Herein we describe the test equipment currently in use for the flight model calibration.