MCFAST: A Fast Simulation Package for Detector Studies

Paper: 442
Session: A (talk)
Speaker: Kutschke, Robert, Fermilab, Batavia
Keywords: simulation, simulation tools


MCFAST: A Fast Simulation Package for Detector Studies


Patricia McBride
Fermilab
(for the MCFast collaboration)

Abstract

The Simulation Group at Fermilab has developed a fast simulation package for
detector design studies. The goal of this package, called MCFast, is to
provide a general
framework for the comparison of detector geometries and in particular to
compare experiments
designed to study the production and decay of B hadrons in a collider
environment. The BTeV-C0
collaboration at Fermilab has used MCFast extensively over the past year to
perform tracking
and trigger studies.

The primary goal of MCFast is speed and flexibility which is achieved through
parameterization. The code is written primarily in Fortran and C and is
interfaced to the
standard HEP event generators Pythia, Herwig and Isajet through the STDHEP
interface. The decay
of charm and bottom particles is handled by QQ, a Monte Carlo package developed
for CLEO. The
fast tracking is based on a Kalman filter technique. A 3-D Graphics package
has been
developed to display the detector geometry, tracks and calorimeter hits.
Recent updates to the MCFast
package include parameterized electromagnetic and hadronic calorimetry and a
new OpenInventor
based display package.