Fast, accurate, and precise detector simulation with vision transformers

Abstract

The speed and fidelity of detector simulations in particle physics pose compelling questions about LHC analysis and future colliders. The sparse high-dimensional data, combined with the required precision, provide a challenging task for modern generative networks. We present a comparison between solutions with different trade-offs, including accurate Conditional Flow Matching and faster coupling-based Normalising Flows. Vision Transformers allows us to emulate the energy deposition from detailed Geant4 simulations. We evaluate the networks using high-level observables, neural network classifiers, and sampling timings, showing minimum deviations from Geant4 while achieving faster generation. We use the CaloChallenge benchmark datasets for reproducibility and further development.