Speaker
Description
Dora Geeraerts on behalf of the ScIDEP collaboration
Despite centuries of study, the Egyptian pyramids at Giza continue to raise fundamental questions regarding their internal architecture and methods of construction. While the Great Pyramid of Khufu exhibits a complex system of chambers and corridors, the Pyramid of Khafre, the second largest pyramid at the Giza Plateau, appears to have a relatively simpler interior layout, raising the question of the possible presence of undiscovered voids.
The ScIDEP (Scintillator Imaging Detector for the Egyptian Pyramids) Collaboration is developing scintillator-based muon telescopes to measure the internal density distribution of the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza using the technique of transmission muon radiography. Two complementary detector concepts are currently under construction: (i) large-area PVT scintillator plates with fiber readout, and (ii) modular plastic scintillator bars. The collaboration aims to place one detector inside the pyramid, in the King’s burial chamber centrally located at the base of the monument, and a second detector outside the pyramid. This configuration from multiple viewpoints enables a three-dimensional reconstruction of potentially unknown internal structures.
A comprehensive simulation framework based on Geant4 has been established to support the development and optimization of the ScIDEP muon telescopes and to model the expected muon flux through the pyramid. The framework includes a three-dimensional model of the Pyramid of Khafre, incorporating its known internal geometry, as well as a full detector description with realistic scintillator properties and optical photon transport. This contribution presents an overview of the ScIDEP project, detailing the detector concepts under development, the Geant4-based simulation framework, and first results on track reconstruction and muographic imaging performance.