Propagating leptons through matter with Muon Monte Carlo (MMC)

Abstract

An accurate simulation of the propagation of muons through matter is needed for the analysis of data produced by muon/neutrino underground experiments. A muon may sustain hundreds of interactions before it is detected by the experiment. Since a small systematic uncertainty repeated hundreds of times may lead to sizable errors, requirements on the precision of the muon propagation code are very stringent. A new tool for propagating muon and tau charged leptons through matter that is believed to meet these requirements is presented here. An overview of the program is given and some results of its application are discussed.