Simulations of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory—Calibration and Monitoring

Once completed, the Pierre Auger Observatory will be the cosmic ray detector with the largest aperture (2×7000 km2 sr). The design of this observatory and, in the future, the data analysis depend, at least partially, on simulations of the response of the detector to an extended air shower. In the following, we present briefly the Pierre Auger Observatory and discuss simulations of the surface detector. As a concrete example we discuss the simulation of calibration and monitoring methods.