UCGretina GEANT4 Simulation of the GRETINA Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array

TL;DR

This paper presents a GEANT4 simulation model of the GRETINA gamma-ray tracking array, accurately reproducing efficiency and spectral features crucial for in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy with high-velocity beams.

Contribution

The paper introduces a detailed GEANT4 model of GRETINA, including passive germanium layers, improving simulation accuracy for gamma-ray detection and analysis.

Findings

Simulated photopeak efficiencies match measurements across gamma-ray energies.

Inclusion of passive germanium layers is essential for accurate efficiency modeling.

Heuristic methods for passive-layer thickness determination were developed.

Abstract

UCGretina, a GEANT4 simulation of the GRETINA gamma-ray tracking array of highly-segmented high-purity germanium detectors is described. We have developed a model of the array, in particular of the Quad Module and the capsules, that gives good agreement between simulated and measured photopeak efficiencies over a broad range of gamma-ray energies and reproduces the shape of the measured Compton continuum. Both of these features are needed in order to accurately extract gamma-ray yields from spectra collected in in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements with beams traveling at $v/c \gtrsim 0.3$ at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. In the process of developing the model, we determined that millimeter-scale layers of passive germanium surrounding the active volumes of the simulated crystals must be included in order to reproduce measured photopeak efficiencies. We adopted a simple model of effective passive layers and developed heuristic methods of determining passive-layer thicknesses by comparison of simulations and measurements for a single crystal and for the full array. Prospects for future development of the model are discussed.