Detailed investigation on the Geant4 simulation of alpha particles in liquid scintillator detector

Abstract

Purpose: Alpha particles from $^{214}$Po, $^{212}$Po, and $^{210}$Po are increasingly used to calibrate large liquid scintillator detectors, but Geant4 simulations of their energy deposition require detailed validation. Methods: We simulate alpha particles in a 4 m cube of LAB-based liquid scintillator with Geant4 11.4.2 and apply Birks quenching per step. We study step-size, production-threshold, Birks-constant, and electromagnetic-model dependence, and use Geant4-DNA to examine keV-scale electron track structure. Results: Delta-electron-associated fluctuations dominate the simulated response. Across the tested explicit-delta settings, the variance of the quenched-response contribution from secondary tracks is 1.01--1.12 times the total variance; a negative primary--secondary covariance reduces the total. The simulated quenching-curve shape is compatible with SNO+ data within current uncertainties, with $χ^2/\mathrm{ndf}\simeq0.14$--$0.17$ for $k_B=0.007$--$0.010$ g cm$^{-2}$ MeV$^{-1}$. Geant4-DNA gives strong electron-track curvature, with tortuosity decreasing from about 6 at 200 eV to 1.6 at 10 keV. Conclusion: Delta-electron fluctuations are the dominant contribution to the intrinsic resolution in the tested configurations. The production threshold has a larger effect than the electromagnetic model: Penelope and Livermore agree within about 3% in L/E, whereas Standard gives higher L/E, especially at low thresholds.