Hellenic Open University Reconstruction & Simulation (HOURS) software package: User Guide & short reference of Event Generation, Cherenkov photon production and Optical Module simulation

TL;DR

The HOURS software package simulates and reconstructs high energy neutrino events and extensive air showers, aiding in the development and calibration of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope.

Contribution

This paper provides a detailed description of the HOURS simulation software, including event generation, Cherenkov photon production, and optical module simulation, tailored for neutrino telescope research.

Findings

Effective simulation of neutrino events and air showers

Optimization of the KM3NeT detector performance

Calibration techniques development

Abstract

In this document the simulation part of the Hellenic Open University Reconstruction & Simulation (HOURS) software package is described in detail. HOURS can be used for the generation, simulation, pattern recognition and reconstruction of high energy neutrino produced events in a very large volume neutrino telescope. The objective is to provide as accurate as possible a representation of event properties in a wide range of neutrino telescope configurations and medium optical properties. Moreover, HOURS contains software for the simulation and reconstruction of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) using the HEllenic LYceum Cosmic Observatories Network (HELYCON) scintillation counters. Using the information offered by the simulation/reconstruction of any EAS, and by considering the showers' energetic muons that penetrate the sea to the depth of the neutrino telescope, it is possible to study the joint performance of the neutrino and EAS detectors for physics or calibration purposes. HOURS has been used extensively for the optimization, development of calibration techniques and performance evaluation of the planned Mediterranean neutrino telescope, KM3NeT (km 3 Neutrino Telescope). The results of these studies have been published to various international scientific journals. The code and further information may be found on the HOURS web page: http://physicslab.eap.gr/EN/Simulation_software.html .