The ILC Detector Simulations FAQ
General
What tools are available for ILC Detector Simulations?
Many tools are available for the simulation of ILC detectors and the analysis of results. Somewhat unfortunately, there are three differents toolchains that can be used. These have been developed separately in the US, European, and Asian (Japanese) regions.
We recommend that those getting started use the SLAC and ALCPG system of the SLIC Simulations Package (C++) with the org.lcsim reconstruction and analysis package (Java). This system also uses the JAS3 graphical analysis environment.
There is a C++ framework developed under ECFA that uses Mokka for the simulator with the MARLIN tool for analysis and reconstruction.
Finally, the ACFA group has a http://root.cern.ch-based suite of softare.
Where can I get more information about software?
The LCSim Software Index has links to all the primary tools for ILC Detector Simulations. The Portals Section lists sites that cover full suites of software.
SLIC
What is SLIC?
SLIC stands for "Simulator for the Linear Collider". It is a full simulation package that uses the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit to simulate the passage of particles through the detector. SLIC outputs LCIO files that can be analysed using a variety of language bindings, including Java, C++, FORTRAN, and Python. In the US community, the most popular tools to use for analysis of LCIO files are JAS3 with the org.lcsim package. SLIC uses a separate backend for the input of detector data called Linear Collider Detector Description (LCDD), which itself is based on the GDML project from CERN.
Who is the primary maintainer of SLIC?
Jeremy McCormick <jeremym@slac.stanford.edu> is the primary maintainer of the SLIC simulation package. Much work has also been done by Ron Cassell <cassell@slac.stanford.edu> to verify and debug the LCIO output files. The handling of MCParticles in SLIC was based on earlier work by Ron from a package called Linear Collider Simulator (LCS).