Simulated Performance of a Germanium Compton Telescope

Abstract

To build upon the goals of the upcoming INTEGRAL mission, the next generation soft gamma-ray (0.2-20 MeV) observatory will require improved sensitivity to nuclear line emission while maintaining high spectral resolution. We present the simulated performance of a germanium Compton telescope (GCT) design, which will allow a factor of ten improvement in sensitivity over INTEGRAL/SPI. We also discuss a number of issues concerning reconstruction techniques and event cuts, and demonstrate how these affect the overall performance of the telescope.