Simulation of a pion photodetection experiment

Abstract

In this thesis we asses the capabilities of the Crystal Box detector and evaluate its advantages over the Neutral Meson Spectrometer (NMS) detector in a planned experiment at the High Intensity Gamma Source (HI[gamma]S) at Duke University. After discussing the relevance of the experiment and briefly reviewing the physics at play, we delve into the details of the Crystal Box detector and explain how it is being modeled in the simulation. We calculate the acceptance of each detector and their resolution in measuring physical quantities from each pion photoproduction event detected. We then simulate the extraction of raw data from the experiment using both the Crystal Box and the NMS detectors, and present our results as to how well we believe each detector will perform at measuring the physical quantities of interest. Finally, we discuss possible refinements that could be implemented in the simulation to further improve the accuracy of these predictions.