Detailed comparison of the SENECA and CORSIKA shower simulation packages

The SENECA extensive air shower simulation program uses a hybrid simulation method, combining cascade equations and full Monte Carlo simulation. By using cascade equations in the high energy regime, where the shower is one dimensional, and full Monte Carlo at energies below which the shower begins to become three dimensional, SENECA produces air shower simulations quickly and accurately. In this study, we compare SENECA and CORSIKA in a detailed manner, for simulated showers with identical first interactions, so that they can be compared on an event-by-event basis.We compare the final longitudinal profile, lateral distribution function, energy distribution of ground particles, and the propagation of particles in the atmosphere predicted by SENECA and CORSIKA. We find that CORSIKA and SENECA are in agreement within the current statistical uncertainties arising from the size and thinning level of our library, which will be improved for the presentation at ICRC.