München 2009 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 100: Niederenergie-Neutrinophysik & Suche nach dunkler Materie 1

T 100.6: Talk

Monday, March 9, 2009, 18:20–18:35, A140

Pulse Shape Simulation for a GERDA Phase II Prototype Detector — Iris Abt, Allen Caldwell, •Daniel Lenz, Jing Liu, and Bela Majorovits — Max-Planck-Institut für Physik

The GERmanium Detector Array Experiment, GERDA, is designed for the search for "neutrinoless double beta decay" (0νββ) of ⁷⁶Ge. Germanium detectors enriched in the isotope ⁷⁶Ge are used. Since 0νββ has a very long half-live, very few signal events are expected and an extremely low background rate is crucial. Signal events have two electrons in the final state which deposit their ennergy predominantly locally. A large fraction of background events deposit their energy in multiple interactions at different positions inside the detector.

Pulse Shape Analysis is used to distiguish between background-like, multi site events (MSE) and signal-like events, single site events (SSE). To verify the analysis a Pulse Shape Simulation (PSS) was developed. The methods to calculate the internal electric field of the detector and the corresponding weighting-fields needed to simulate pulse shapes are discussed. Furthermore it is shown how mirror pulses in segmented detectors can be used to reconstruct the location of interactions.