Backscattering Study of Electrons from 0.1 to 3.4 MeV

TL;DR

This study measures electron backscattering probabilities from 0.1 to 3.4 MeV on YAP:Ce scintillator to benchmark simulation models, confirming their high reliability with deviations under 5%.

Contribution

It provides experimental data for electron backscattering in the MeV range to validate and improve simulation models like Geant4.

Findings

Relative deviations between experiment and simulation are smaller than 5%.

The setup includes a $2 imes 2 extpi$ calorimeter for large incidence angles.

Results confirm the high reliability of current electromagnetic Physics Lists in Geant4.

Abstract

Benchmarking simulation codes for electron transport and scattering in matter is a crucial step for estimating uncertainties in many applications. However, experimental data for electron energies of a few MeV is scarce to make such comparisons. We report here the measurement and the quantitative analysis of backscattering probabilities of electrons in the energy range 0.1 to 3.4~MeV impinging on YAP:Ce scintillator. The setup consists of a $2\times 2\pi$ calorimeter which enables, in particular, the inclusion of large incidence angles. The results are used to benchmark various scattering models incorporated in Geant4, showing relative deviations smaller than 5% between experiment and simulations. They demonstrate the current rather high reliability of the simulations when employing appropriate electromagnetic Physics Lists.