A retina-based cosmic rays telescope

We present the design for the first prototype of a tracking system with 'artificial retina' for fast track finding. The 'artificial retina' is a tracking algorithm inspired by neurobiology and based on extensive parallelization of data distribution and pattern recognition. It allows track finding with a latency < 1 μs and with track parameter resolutions that are comparable with offline reconstruction results. This tracking system prototype consists of a telescope with 8 planes of single-sided strip detectors that are readout using custom ASICs providing hit position and pulse height. The 'artificial retina' algorithm can be implemented using commercial FPGAs organized in three main blocks: a switch for the parallel distribution of the hits, a pool of processing units for the digital processing of the hits and pattern recognition, and a block for track parameter calculations. We will discuss the implementation of the 'artificial retina' algorithm in the FPGAs, the performance of the device, and the perspectives for possible future applications.