Critical Aspects in the Modeling of Sub-GeV Calorimetric Particle Detectors: The Case Study of the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02) on Board the CSES-02 Satellite

The accurate simulation of sub-GeV particle detectors is essential for interpreting experimental data and optimizing detector design. This work identifies and addresses several critical aspects in modeling such detectors, taking as a case study the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02), a space-borne instrument developed within the CSES-02 mission to measure electrons in the ∼3–100 MeV range, protons and light nuclei in the ∼30–200 MeV/n. The HEPD-02 instrument consists of a silicon tracker, plastic and LYSO scintillator calorimeters, and anticoincidence systems, making it a representative example of a complex low-energy particle detector operating in Low Earth Orbit. Key challenges arise from replicating intricate detector geometries derived from CAD models, selecting appropriate hadronic physics lists for low-energy interactions, and accurately describing the detector response—particularly quenching effects in scintillators and digitization in solid-state tracking planes. Particular attention is given to three critical aspects: the precise CAD-level geometry implementation, the impact of hadronic physics models on the detector response, and the parameterization of scintillation quenching. In this study, we present original solutions to these challenges and provide data–MC comparisons using data from HEPD-02 beam tests.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Particles
Published
2026-01-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/particles9010006
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
47.32
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Critical Aspects in the Modeling of Sub-GeV Calorimetric Particle Detectors: The Case Study of the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02) on Board the CSES-02 Satellite

Simona Zoffoli, A. Oliva, M. Mese, F. Perfetto et al.
1 citations
Particles
Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies
47.32
article

Critical Aspects in the Modeling of Sub-GeV Calorimetric Particle Detectors: The Case Study of the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02) on Board the CSES-02 Satellite

Simona Zoffoli, A. Oliva, M. Mese, F. Perfetto, M. Ricci, Alessandro Sotgiu, F. Palmonari, Ester Ricci, Giuseppe Gebbia, V Scotti, М. Мерге, M. Lolli, F. Benotto, Michele Gea Guimarães Pozzato, Riccardo Nicolaidis, P. Cipollone, Enrico Serra, C. De Santis, S. Garrafa Botta, C. De Donato, A. Contin, S. Bartocci, R. Sparvoli, S. Beolè, G. Masciantonio, Francesco Palma, Pietro Ubertini, S. Ricciarini, Beatrice Panico, Paolo Zuccon, A. Di Luca, F. M. Follega, Zouleikha Sahnoun, Stefania Perciballi, Giuseppe Osteria, Francesco Nozzoli, Alessandro Lega, Silvia Coli, Umberto Savino, Roberto Battiston, Floarea Dumitrache, Veronica Vilona
article en
1 citations

Abstract

The accurate simulation of sub-GeV particle detectors is essential for interpreting experimental data and optimizing detector design. This work identifies and addresses several critical aspects in modeling such detectors, taking as a case study the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-02), a space-borne instrument developed within the CSES-02 mission to measure electrons in the ∼3–100 MeV range, protons and light nuclei in the ∼30–200 MeV/n. The HEPD-02 instrument consists of a silicon tracker, plastic and LYSO scintillator calorimeters, and anticoincidence systems, making it a representative example of a complex low-energy particle detector operating in Low Earth Orbit. Key challenges arise from replicating intricate detector geometries derived from CAD models, selecting appropriate hadronic physics lists for low-energy interactions, and accurately describing the detector response—particularly quenching effects in scintillators and digitization in solid-state tracking planes. Particular attention is given to three critical aspects: the precise CAD-level geometry implementation, the impact of hadronic physics models on the detector response, and the parameterization of scintillation quenching. In this study, we present original solutions to these challenges and provide data–MC comparisons using data from HEPD-02 beam tests.

ParticlesVol. 9(1)
University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (IT), University of Trento (IT), Fondazione Bruno Kessler (IT), Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (IT), Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics And Applications (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino (IT), Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I (IT), University of Turin (IT), University of Naples Federico II (IT), University of Bologna (IT)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies
47.32
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.