Characterization of HPGe gamma spectrometers by geant4 Monte Carlo simulations

Two coaxial and a low-energy HPGe detector were characterized with Monte Carlo simulations, using the geant4 toolkit. The geometry of the detectors, including the dimensions of the crystal and the internal structural parts, were initially taken from the factory specifications and from X-ray radiographies, and were later fine-tuned. The detector response functions, with special emphasis on the absolute full-energy peak efficiencies and peak-to-total ratios, were calculated and compared to experimental data taken at different measurement geometries. Between 150 keV and 11 MeV an agreement within 1–2 standard deviation has been achieved, whereas systematic deviations were experienced at lower energies.