Detector physics, simulations, and software tools

Contacts: O. Sahin, P. Verwilligen, R. Veenhof, P. Fonte, M. Abbrescia, M. Borysova 

Contact email: DRD1-WG4-convenors@cern.ch

WG4 Indico category: https://indico.cern.ch/category/16510/

The DRD1 Working Group 4 (WG4) aims at understanding and modeling the basic physical processes taking place in gaseous detectors, the development of suitable simulation, and software tools able to reproduce the physical processes and predict detector performance. Advanced detector physics simulations are indispensable tools for developing and optimizing modern particle detectors. It allows to confirm or challenge the understanding of the physics, and they are nowadays used standardly to understand the performance of existing detectors or to evaluate the validity of newly designed detection schemes. The simulation tools used and developed in this context are targeting the understanding of the detection physics inside the detector, which is complementary to the simulation needs of small-, medium- or large-scale physics experiments for which GEANT4 is the standard tool to track particles and register precise energy loss, which is then digitized using simplified models or parameterized simulations. One of the widely used software tools in the field of particle physics and detector development  -- Garfield is a software toolkit that is commonly used for simulating processes in gaseous detectors. It allows researchers to better understand the behavior of charged particles in these detectors, optimize their design, and interpret experimental results.

There is a need to implement the simulation tools in a more versatile framework that can handle event simulation, reconstruction, and analysis, which is often experiment-specific. While the development and support for such frameworks are out of the scope, the WG4 can be seen as a useful platform to discuss and exchange best practices.