HERMES: High-speed Event Retrieval and Management for Enhanced Spectral neutron imaging with TPX3Cams

What is HERMES?

HERMES comprises a set of Python and C/C++ libraries (not a standalone program) designed to support the development of custom code for acquiring, processing, and analyzing data from the TPX3Cam manufactured by Amsterdam Scientific Instruments. HERMES' primary function is provide the foundational tools needed for users to create applications tailored to their specific requirements in energy-resolved neutron imaging with TPX3Cams, along with it's subsequent analysis. With HERMES users have access to a flexible framework that simplifies the integration of TPX3Cam's capabilities into their projects, while also providing the needed diagnostics for development and trouble shooting.

Getting Started

Before using HERMES, ensure your system meets the necessary requirements and set up the environment variable for a seamless experience.

Prerequisites

Below are instructions for installing prerequisites on Linux/macOS and Windows.
Note HERMES has not been tested on any Windows systems directly, though it has been used successfully in WSL2 with ubuntu.

PyHERMES Prerequisite Installation Options

pyHERMES requires Python 3.8 or later. Python can be obtained directly via download or by a third party platform like Anaconda3, apt-get, Homebrew.

1. Direct Installation:

   • Visit https://www.python.org/downloads/ to download and install Python. Ensure to select the option to 'Add Python to PATH' during installation.

2. Via Anaconda:

   • Anaconda provides a convenient way to install Python and manage packages. Download and install Anaconda from https://www.anaconda.com/products/individual. After installation, you can create a new environment for HERMES with Python 3.8:

     conda create --name hermes
     conda activate hermes

3. Via apt or homebrew

    # Ubuntu/Debian
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install python3.8

   # macOS
   brew install python@3.8

cHERMES Prerequisite Installation Options

cHERMES requires a C/C++ Compiler, along with CMake 3.15 or higher.

Linux/macOS

1. GCC/G++ (Linux) or Xcode Command Line Tools (macOS):

   • Linux:

     sudo apt-get install build-essential

   • macOS:
     • Install Xcode from the App Store, then open Terminal and run:

       xcode-select --install

2. CMake:

   • Install CMake using your package manager or from https://cmake.org/download/.

     # Ubuntu/Debian
     sudo apt-get install cmake

     # macOS
     brew install cmake

Windows

1. Microsoft C++ Build Tools:

   • Download and install the Build Tools for Visual Studio from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/. During installation, select the "C++ build tools" workload.

2. CMake:

   • Download and install CMake from https://cmake.org/download/. During installation, ensure you add CMake to the system PATH.

Setting the Environment Variable

HERMES requires setting up the HERMES_HOME environment variable as well as additional variables for cHERMES and pyHERMES. These steps ensure that both the C/C++ libraries and Python modules are correctly recognized by your system.

macOS/Linux Users:

1. Open your shell profile file (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.).
2. Add the following lines to set HERMES_HOME and the additional variables:

   export HERMES_HOME=/path/to/hermes
   export cHERMES_DIR=$HERMES_HOME/cHERMES
   export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:$HERMES_HOME

3. Replace /path/to/hermes with the actual installation path of HERMES on your machine.
4. Save the file.
5. Apply the changes by running

    source ~/.bashrc # or the equivalent command for your shell

Windows Users:

1. Search for "Edit the system environment variables" and open it.
2. Click "Environment Variables."
3. To set HERMES_HOME, under "User variables," click "New."
   • Set the Variable name to HERMES_HOME.
   • Set the Variable value to the path of your HERMES installation.
4. To set cHERMES_DIR, repeat the process to add a new User variable:
   • Set the Variable name to cHERMES_DIR.
   • Set the Variable value to %HERMES_HOME%\cHERMES.
5. To add pyHERMES to the Python path, find the Path variable under "User variables" (or "System variables" if you want it available system-wide) and edit it:
   • Click "New" and add %HERMES_HOME%\pyHERMES.
6. Click OK to save each variable.

These environment variable settings ensure that the system can properly locate and utilize the cHERMES and pyHERMES libraries. HERMES_HOME serves as the base directory for the entire HERMES suite, while cHERMES_DIR and the addition of pyHERMES to the PYTHONPATH enable specific functionality within the HERMES ecosystem

Verifying Installation

To verify the environment variable:

macOS/Linux Users:

echo $HERMES_HOME

Windows:

echo %HERMES_HOME%

Starting with some Examples

License

HERMES is distributed as open-source software under an MIT License, with LANL open source approval (reference O4660). Please see LICENSE for more details.