Monte Carlo simulation of the LENA detector system

Abstract

Many nuclear astrophysics experiments use the singles energy spectrum to measure nuclear cross-sections. It has been shown in previous publications that the use of a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector and a NaI(Tl) annulus in coincidence can lower the background, allowing the measurement of smaller cross-sections. In our previous work, our simulation was only capable of determining both full-energy peak relative efficiencies. Here, we present work which extends our simulation so that we can predict absolute efficiencies, and both coincidence gate efficiencies.We first show that the full-energy peak and the total energy singles efficiency of our HPGe detector simulation agrees well with calibration data. We then present the full-energy peak and total energy efficiency for the NaI(Tl) annulus. Results are presented for our coincidence efficiencies, using three examples. These examples are a comparison to the decay of the 151keV resonance in the 18O(p, γ)19F reaction, a 22Na point-like calibration source, and 26Al nuclei distributed in a meteorite fragment. In each case, we present a comparison of data to the simulation and show that, within our uncertainties, we can accurately simulate our measured intensities.