  Detailed Monte-Carlo simulations were used to evaluate the performance of a
liquid neon scintillation detector for dark matter and low-energy solar
neutrino interactions. A maximum-likelihood event vertex fitter including PMT
time information was developed, which significantly improves position
resolution over spatial-only algorithms, and substantially decreases the
required detector size and achievable analysis energy threshold. The ultimate
sensitivity to WIMP dark matter and the pp flux uncertainty are evaluated as a
function of detector size. The dependence on the neon scintillation and PMT
properties are evaluated. A 300 cm radius detector would allow a ~13 keV
threshold, a pp flux uncertainty of ~1%, and limits on the spin-independent
WIMP-nucleon cross-section of ~10^{-46} cm^2 for a 100 GeV WIMP, using
commercially available PMTs. Detector response calibration and background
requirements for a precision pp measurement are defined. Internal radioactivity
requirements for uranium, thorium, and krypton are specified, and it is shown
that the PMT data could be used for an in-situ calibration of the troublesome
krypton-85. A set of measurements of neon scintillation properties and PMT
characteristics are outlined which will be needed in order to evaluate
feasibility and fully optimize the design of a neon-based detector.
