Monte-Carlo simulations of Ge-detector array

In order to develop more advanced nuclear technologies, it is necessary to determine well the (n,xn) cross-sections of materials used in these technologies. As direct measurement of these cross-sections is difficult, gamma ray spectroscopy is used to determine (n,xnγ), which can then be used to determine (n,xn) cross-sections. HPGe detectors are used for gamma-ray spectroscopy, and Monte-Carlo simulations are employed to calibrate these detectors. This research performs a Monte-Carlo simulation of a HPGe detector with the aim of reproducing the energy spectrum of the detector in terms of energy resolution and efficiency. The results are inconclusive due to the poor quality of the measured Eu-152 spectrum as a result of a pile-up effect. Though inconclusive, analysis of results suggests a simulation with a better resolution than the detector, and a growth in the thickness of the detectors dead layer since its last calibration due to much higher efficiencies in the simulation at low energies.