Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies the format of binary list-mode data at the output of digital data acquisition devices used for the detection and measurement of radiation. Such data acquisition devices can employ digital signal processors (DSPs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in combination with memory and a communication interface with a computer.

This document is applicable to those data acquisition devices which are able to record and present interaction data of radiation in detectors on an event-per-event basis, with data stored in an output file or streamed to a remote computer. Such list-mode data typically contains timestamp and energy information, but can also contain digital signals or properties like rise time or sub-areas of signals computed by the DSP or FPGA from the signal samples.

It is not the scope of this document to specify the communication protocol between data acquisition hardware and the instrument drivers. Instead, it specifies a standard format for the presentation of data acquired by one or more acquisition devices, to the user or user application.

This document only specifies the binary formatting of data. The formatted data can be sent or stored as specified by other protocols. Also, commands to control data acquisition devices are not included in this document.

This document does not put requirements on encryption or authentication of data. However, data are canonically encoded in the format of this document, which allows the application of data security algorithms.

This document does not replace IEC 62755. This document provides optional mechanisms to include IEC 62755 formatted data into list-mode data.

This document does not apply to data acquisition devices used as instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants, nor other safety-critical applications. It is also not intended for medical applications.