2017/04/07 by M. Agostini, K. Altenmüller, K. Altenmuller +109 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Borexino #Computational physics #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Detector #Monte Carlo method #Neutrino #Neutrino Physics Research #Neutrino detector #Neutrino oscillation #Nuclear physics #Optics #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Photomultiplier #Photon #Physics #Scintillation #Scintillator #hep-ex #physics.ins-det
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2017.10.003
arxiv created 2017/04/07 · openalex publication_date 2017/10/17 · arxiv updated 2017/12/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We describe the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation package of the Borexino detector and discuss the agreement of its output with data. The Borexino MC 'ab initio' simulates the energy loss of particles in all detector components and generates the resulting scintillation photons and their propagation within the liquid scintillator volume. The simulation accounts for absorption, reemission, and scattering of the optical photons and tracks them until they either are absorbed or reach the photocathode of one of the photomultiplier tubes. Photon detection is followed by a comprehensive simulation of the readout electronics response. The algorithm proceeds with a detailed simulation of the electronics chain. The MC is tuned using data collected with radioactive calibration sources deployed inside and around the scintillator volume. The simulation reproduces the energy response of the detector, its uniformity within the fiducial scintillator volume relevant to neutrino physics, and the time distribution of detected photons to better than 1% between 100 keV and several MeV. The techniques developed to simulate the Borexino detector and their level of refinement are of possible interest to the neutrino community, especially for current and future large-volume liquid scintillator experiments such as Kamland-Zen, SNO+, and Juno.