Pulse shape analysis for γ-ray tracking (Part I): Pulse shape simulation with JASS

Next-generation gamma-ray spectrometers based on highly segmented HPGe detectors are using the recent technique of gamma-ray tracking to significantly improve on efficiency and Doppler correction capabilities. A precise reconstruction of the individual interaction locations within the active material is possible through the use of pulse shape analysis (PSA) which, in turn, demands an accurate knowledge of the detector response. We developed JASS, a Java-based simulation software package to generate pulse shapes for the AGATA detectors from physics constraints and basic material parameters. For verifying the simulation experimental data from a coincidence scan with known interaction locations was used. The achieved position resolution, in the order of a few millimeters, is within the requirements of the gamma-ray tracking array.