Simulation of energy loss of fractionally charged particles using Geant4

Abstract

Over the years several rare-event search experiments have shown increasing interest to search for Fractionally Charged Particles (FCPs) within the data acquired in those experiments. This, in turn, has required the need for a framework to calculate accurately the energy loss expected from FCPs as they pass through the detector material. We have developed Monte Carlo methods within Geant4 to simulate for the first time energy loss of FCPs through different physics processes. The program can be used to calculate energy deposition distributions, a major component of any FCP search analysis, as they interact with detector material. We discuss the implementation and validation of the energy loss of FCPs using a typical detector material.