Multi-channel data acquisition system with absolute time synchronization

We present a low-cost, stand-alone global-time-synchronized data acquisition system. Our prototype allows recording up to four analog signals with a 16-bit resolution in variable ranges and a maximum sampling rate of 1000 S/s. The system simultaneously acquires readouts of external sensors e.g. magnetometer or thermometer. A complete data set, including a header containing timestamp, is stored on a Secure Digital (SD) card or transmitted to a computer using Universal Serial Bus (USB). The estimated time accuracy of the data acquisition is better than ±200 ns. The device is intended for use in a global network of optical magnetometers (the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic physics – GNOME), which aims to search for signals heralding physics beyond the Standard Model, that can be generated by ordinary spin coupling to exotic particles or anomalous spin interactions.