On the differences between calorimetric detection of electrons and photons

Calorimetric particle detection plays an increasingly important role in particle physics experiments. For some particles, and in particular high-energy γʹs, it is the only technique available for measuring the four vectors. Typically, the properties of the electromagnetic calorimeters intended for this purpose are experimentally established in test beams of electrons. However, the findings in such beam tests are not necessarily valid for photon-induced showers. In this paper, we examine the differences between photon- and electron-induced electromagnetic showers and the consequences for calorimetric detection of these particles.