Data-acquisition system for the NRL electron linac

A description is given of a data-acquisition system used on-line with experiments performed at the 60-MeV electron linear accelerator at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. The primary application of the system involves the study of neutron capture gamma rays, employing in one case a Ge(Li) detector for high resolution, and in another experiment four NaI detectors in a coincidence arrangement. In both cases time-of-flight methods are used to record the neutron energy. Both the hardware and software for these experiments are described. The design of a subsystem for automation of electron-scattering experiments is also given. Overall emphasis is on maximum flexibility and performance within a limited budget.