Comparing different architectures for real-time computing of special algorithms: A case study

Abstract The on-line computation of special algorithms, such as those required for controlling multidetectors in heavy-ion nuclear physics experiments, is a fundamental problem. It requires real-time computational resources capable of satisfying the associated time constraints. The work presented describes general considerations on real-time architectures, and tests performed employing, as a benchmark, the computation of a power law, used for particle identification in nuclear physics experiments.