Cornell University Unit Name

"Pixel Vertex Detector Simulation and Design Optimization"

---

The main goal of this project is to evaluate the vertex detector design performance through simulations and physics benchmark analyses, in order to assist the key design decisions.

Some of the main branches of the project:

1) Vertex detector simulation in GEANT and performance studies

• Improving the track ionization and digitization model. This includes the incorporation of proper ionization fluctuation model from Hans Bichsel and improvements on charge diffusion/collection models. They are essential for allowing detailed sensor design optimization studies on e.g. pixel size, active silicon thickness and depletion depth and reconstruction clustering algorithms. This improvement for GEANT simulation will hopefully have generic applications also for many other silicon detector simulations.

• Updating the SiD vertex detector description with progressively more details of mechanical and other realistic system components. This will allow an integrated design optimization to evaluate geometry designs and sensor technologies with corresponding engineering reality taken into account for the overall system performance.

2) Vertexing analysis tools: For detector performance studies, improvements on analysis tools are essential. Some currently identified major areas:

• Track reconstruction quality classification and diagnostics.

• Track fitting utilities to decouple different effects.

• Topological vertexing utility

• Advanced vertexing utilities for b-tag and vertex charge.

3) Vertexing physics benchmark analyses: These analyses relating the physics performance to the detector design options, will ultimately help to judge the relevance of the various detector performance parameters to assist establishing priority of design effort and evaluating the trade-off of performance and design risks.

These projects are expected to be a continuous effort in the next 3 years with most of the components at least establishing the basic utilities in 2006 to serve the need of the SiD detector concept layout description document. The resource needs are primarily the travel support for staff physicists, postdocs and students.

---

Please address the following questions in your statement.

• What are the goals of this R&D project. How does this R&D project address the needs of one or more of the detector concepts?

• If there are multiple institutions participating in this project, please describe the distribution of responsibilities.

• Are there significant recent results?

• What are the plans for the near future(about 1 year)? What are the plans on a time scale of 2 to 3 years?

• Are there critical items that must be addressed before significant results can be obtained from this project?

• Is the support for this project sufficient? Are there significant improvements that could be made with additional support?