Toy Monte-Carlo of Photon Propargation in Ice


 

Update record:  
20040426   "A Proposal of the DOM response implementation method for the Photonics table" uploaded
       

Purpose of the Monte-carlo

Document

  • Proposal report (A Proposal of the DOM response implementation method for the Photonics table)(ps) (pdf)

Figures


Purpose of the Monte-carlo

In the last collaboration meeting at Delaware, the data structure of the photonics is discussed for next release.
Applying the averaged sensitivity to all OMs, current version of the photonics stores the number of photo-electrons at every distance between a light source to an OM and the angle of incidence, in order to save computer memory. It convolutes absolute quantum efficiency at the photo cathode of PMT, acceptance of arrival photons at the surface of PMT, photon absorption and reflection in the OM glass and gel, and the wave length spectrum after the propagation of given distance in non-homogeneous ice. The size of table is up to 7GB and will grow up in the next release as the detector volume increases from the AMANDA to the IceCube.

On the other hand, the optical properties of individual PMT are measured carefully (see our PMT page) which has indicated that a local but systematic deviation of the tube gain and the collection efficiency
on a photocathode surface is not negligible and is indeed a major factor in PMT response.
These behavior also appears differently from a tube to tube and it would be important to implement these measured results to the next detector Monte-Carlo simulator in order to reduce the uncertainty of the DOM response. Adding these informations to the photonics may cause considerable expansion of table size, however, no one would be able to load the table on his/her computer any more.

In order to find the good solution, we argued following possibilities:

  1. Use same data structure as in the AMANDA simulation chain
  2. Let the photonics calculate number of the photons arriving at individual DOM location instead of number of photo-electrons
  3. Add new field for the wave length spectrum of the arrival photons

The first one is just a back up plan. The second choice assuming 100% efficiency to all DOMs in the photonics table, then the difference of each DOMs are simulated in the detector Monte-carlo side.
Remarkable advantage is that the method doesn't require any additional field to the photonics itself while an individual response of DOMs can be simulated in resonable manner in the DOM simulator module. Obviously it will be the most favorable solution, however there is one drawback: we cannot know the wavelength of the arrival because the wavelength factor is convoluted in the photonics, although the response of DOMs depend on the wavelength.
The last choice may cover this drawback by paying relatively small penalty about table size.

Before going to the third choice, we tried to figure out whether we can recover the drawback without increasing table size by assuming analytical wavelength spectrum after the propagation inside pole ice. A toy Monte-Carlo program is developed for this purpose and its details and several results are reported in a proposal report "A Proposal of the DOM response implementation method for the Photonics table". The systematic shift of the number of photo-electrons by assuming an analytical wavelength spectrum would be 5%, which would be better than the uncertainty due to our incomplete knowledge of IceCube ice profile.

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Document

  • Proposal report (A Proposal of the DOM response implementation method for the Photonics table)

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Figures

  • Number of photons after propagation in ice vs wavelength (eps) (pdf) (gif)
  • Absolute QE curve (measured by Hamamatsu Photonics) (eps) (pdf) (gif)
  • Wavelength spectrum at different distances (eps) (pdf) (gif)
  • Wavelength spectrum at different distances with QE curve convolution(eps) (pdf) (gif)
  • Number of photo-electrons (Model / MC) (eps) (pdf) (gif)

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Photon Propagator
(Toy Monte-Carlo)

Ray trace&BG sim
(DOMINANT)

PMT Handy c++ sim
(ROMEO)

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hoshina@hepburn.s.chiba-u.ac.jp