CALICE scintillator-SiPM calorimeter prototypes: R&D highlights and beamtests

The CALICE collaboration has been exploring high granularity calorimeters in the past two decades. Two prototypes based on the plastic scintillator option have been successfully developed to address system integration challenges and to measure particle showers in great detail. The Scintillator-Tungsten Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ScW-ECAL) prototype features 6720 readout channels and 32 longitudinal layers of scintillator strips and copper–tungsten plates, while the Analogue Hadron Calorimeter (AHCAL) prototype has 12960 readout channels and 40 longitudinal layers with scintillator tiles and iron plates. Both prototypes use silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readout with embedded compact front-end electronics. Successful beamtests were performed at CERN PS and SPS beamlines in 2022 and 2023 with beam particles ranging from 1–350 GeV. This contribution will cover prototype developments, highlights of beamtests, and ongoing performance studies with particle showers.