Coincidence Trigger for the SBS GEP Experiment: Simulated and Actual Performance

The SBS collaboration’s GEP experiment at Hall A of Jefferson Lab is scheduled to begin taking data in early 2025. This experiment intends to measure the Sachs electric form factor of the proton up to 12 GeV² via the recoil polarization method. A two-arm coincidence trigger will be used for selection of events with the expected kinematic characteristics of elastic electron-proton scattering. The expected trigger rates have been estimated through the simulation of minimum bias events tracked through Geant4 and the use of a trigger analysis method reflective of that which will be used by the DAQ system of the GEP experiment. An overview of the trigger system and its implementation in the simulation will be presented, along with comparisons to the actual performance of the trigger system observed during the initial run period of the experiment.