Impact of Detector Simulation in Particle Physics Collider Experiments

by Victor Daniel Elvira (Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (US))

Tuesday 9 Oct 2018, 12:30 → 13:30 US/Pacific

Other Institutes

Through the last three decades, accurate simulation of the interactions of particles with matter and modeling of detector geometries has proven to be of critical importance to the success of the international high-energy physics (HEP) experimental programs. For example, the detailed detector modeling and accurate physics of the Geant4-based simulation software of the CMS and ATLAS particle physics experiments at the European Center of Nuclear Research (CERN) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was a determinant factor for these collaborations to deliver physics results of outstanding quality faster than any hadron collider experiment ever before. In this seminar, I will review the impact of detector simulation on particle physics collider experiments. I will present numerous examples of the use of simulation, from detector design and optimization, through software and computing development and testing, to cases where the use of simulation samples made a difference in the precision of the physics results and publication turnaround, from data-taking to submission. I will also discuss the cost and economic impact of simulation in the specific case of the CMS experiment. These topics acquire particular relevance at a time when future experiments demand orders of magnitude more simulated data of higher physics accuracy within the constrain of a flat budget.

Stanford-ImpactSimulation.pdf