Towards the ultimate PMT waveform analysis for neutrino and dark matter experiments

Abstract Photomultiplier tube (PMT) voltage waveforms are the raw data of many neutrino and dark matter experiments. Waveform analysis is the cornerstone of data processing. We evaluate the performance of all the waveform analysis algorithms known to us and find fast stochastic matching pursuit the best in accuracy. Significant time (up to × 2) and energy (up to × 1.07) resolution boosts are attainable with fast stochastic matching pursuit, approaching theoretical limits. Other methods also outperform the traditional threshold crossing approach in time resolution.