A simulation method for germanium pulse shapes

Pulse shape analysis for germanium spectrometers is under consideration for many purposes such as microphonic noise rejection, event localization in segmented detector systems, correction of ballistic deficit and trapping, and the separation of gamma events from nuclear recoil and beta decay. A simulation system for germanium spectrometer pulses has been developed which models the irradiation of a detector, the collection of charge, and the response of a preamplifier. The product of this simulation is a collection of events. For each event we record the number, location, and energy of charge depositions in the crystal; the total deposited energy; and the shape of the pulse observed at any one of several test points in the preamplifier. This system has been assembled by linking computer codes for radiation transport, electric field calculation, charge transport, electronic response, and data storage and management.