Hadron energy response of the Iron Calorimeter detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory

TL;DR

This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to analyze the hadron energy response of the ICAL detector at INO, providing insights into its energy resolution and calibration for atmospheric neutrino interactions.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the hadron energy response of the ICAL detector, including energy resolution and calibration methods.

Findings

Hadron energy resolution ranges from 85% at 1 GeV to 36% at 15 GeV.

Hit distribution fits the Vavilov distribution, approaching Gaussian at high energies.

Calibration of hadron energy as a function of hit multiplicity is established.

Abstract

The results of a Monte Carlo simulation study of the hadron energy response for the magnetized Iron CALorimeter detector, ICAL, proposed to be located at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is presented. Using a GEANT4 modeling of the detector ICAL, interactions of atmospheric neutrinos with target nuclei are simulated. The detector response to hadrons propagating through it is investigated using the hadron hit multiplicity in the active detector elements. The detector response to charged pions of fixed energy is studied first, followed by the average response to the hadrons produced in atmospheric neutrino interactions using events simulated with the NUANCE event generator. The shape of the hit distribution is observed to fit the Vavilov distribution, which reduces to a Gaussian at high energies. In terms of the parameters of this distribution, we present the hadron energy resolution as a function of hadron energy, and the calibration of hadron energy as a function of the hit multiplicity. The energy resolution for hadrons is found to be in the range 85% (for 1GeV) -- 36% (for 15 GeV).