Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova

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Background of the Project

• Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova

http//www.ge.infn.it/geant4/dna
CERN, 26 July 2004
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A project born from a fertile ground

• Geant4
• An object oriented Toolkit for the simulation of
  the passage of particles trough matter
• Complementary activities
• Developments in Geant4
• Applications of Geant4
• Experimental measurements

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Object Oriented

• The software technology adopted makes Geant4 a
  system
• open to extension, close to modification
• New extensions do not affect the existing code at
  all
• The system can evolve to accommodate
• new requirements
• new domains
• new models and their implementations
• new kinds of applications
• without perturbing the existing domains,
  implementations, applications
• Thanks to Geant4 design, it is easy to conceive
• new geometries, new materials, new particles
  (cell, DNA)
• new processes (physical, chemical, bio-chemical,
  biological)
• new concepts not encompassed by Geant4 subsystems
  yet
• and to design and implement them in the existing
  architecture
• (well easy does not mean by magic!)

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Toolkit

• A toolkit is a system consisting of weakly
  coupled components
• The user can use what he/she needs out of the
  toolkit, without worrying about what he/she does
  not need
• Adding new components is easy
• Communicate with other components through a well
  defined interface
• Extending the functionality of Geant4 to cover
  new domains is facilitated by the Toolkit nature
  of Geant4
• Add new components
• Need any extension/modification within existing
  components?
• Are the current interfaces sufficient? complete?

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Experience in the group

• Quantitative process measurements
• Extension of Geant4 LowE electromagnetic package
  by re-engineering the whole Penelope physics
  (i.e. a whole Monte Carlo code)
• 1 graduate student, with no background in OOP nor
  C, working 20 of his time alone at LAquila
• Sound package design
• 6 months from joining the Collaboration to public
  code release
• Iterative and incremental process
• First cycle provided full functionality through
  intermediate release steps
• Photon process Bremsstrahlung positron
  annihilation ionisation
• Next design iteration mix and match process
  components

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Geant4 Physics

• A rich set of processes and models to handle the
  interactions of particles with matter
• One of the most active areas of Geant4, still
  under development
• Low Energy electromagnetic extensions
• First general purpose Monte Carlo system to go
  below 1 keV
• Precise dosimetry, applications in space science
  and bio-medical physics
• Extensive test and validation
• see Michelas talk
• Further extensions to lower energies to be
  explored
• not easy!
• how to validate them?

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Complementary activities

• Geant4 Low Energy Electromagnetic Physics
• Geant4 Test Analysis Project
• Geant4 physics testing
• Statistical Toolkit
• Medical applications radiotherapy
• Space science
• Experimental activity in collaborating groups
• Geant4-DNA

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Complementary activities LowE Physics
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Complementary activities Test Analysis Project
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Complementary activities physics validation
More in Michelas talk
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Complementary activities Toolkit for
statistical data analysis (comparison of
distributions)
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Complementary activities dosimetry for
radiotherapy
Catana Group, INFN LNS
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Complementary activities REMSIM -
radioprotection of astronauts
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Complementary activities space environment
generator interfaced to Geant4
New project, starting Susannas PhD Thesis
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Complementary activities

• Experimental activities of Geant4 user groups
• See talks by Sébastien Incerti, Gérard Montarou
• Cellular irradiation at INFN Legnaro

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• Profits of complementary experience and
  developments in other projects
• Provides requirements to other projects