Geant4
| Geant4 | |
|---|---|
| Basic data
|
|
| developer | Geant4 collaboration |
| Current version | 10.6 (December 6, 2019) |
| operating system | Cross-platform |
| programming language | C ++ |
| category | Physics calculation |
| License | Geant4 Software License |
| cern.ch/geant4/ | |
Geant4 ( Ge ometry at d T racking ) is a platform for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter by use of Monte Carlo methods . It is the most modern part of the toolkit series that is being developed at CERN and uses object-oriented programming (in C ++ ) for the first time . The areas of application are high energy physics and experiments on nuclear reactions, medical physics , accelerator physics and astrophysics . The software is used by several research projects around the world.
The Geant4 software and its source code were always freely available, but up to version 8.1 ( June 30, 2006 ) there was no specific license for use. Meanwhile, Geant4 is distributed under the terms of the Geant4 Software License .
Functions
Geant4 has options for editing geometries, tracking, responses from detectors , run management, visualization and user interface . With many physical simulations, this frees up less time to spend on low-level details and allows researchers to focus on the more important aspects of the simulation.
- Geometry represents the structure of the experiment and its components (such as detectors, absorbers , etc.) and calculates how the layout will affect the particle path.
- Tracking is the simulation of the path of a particle through matter. This includes the calculation of possible interaction of ionizing radiation with matter and decay processes.
- Responses from detectors (“detector response”) tries to incorporate detectors into the experiment and to calculate their responses.
- Run Management deals with the details of individual processes ("runs") and changes to the configuration.
- The user interface , usually a Bash- like command line, allows interactive operation of a Geant4-based application.
- Geant4 provides a number of options for visualization . These include the output of screen displays using OpenGL or ray tracing and the output of files in VRML or HepRep format.
Some experiments from high energy physics using Geant4
- BaBar and GLAST at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
- ATLAS and Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CERN
- Borexino at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS)
- MINOS at the Fermilab
- EXO
- the PANDA experiment at GSI (in planning)
- the International Linear Collider (in planning)
- the Belle II experiment at KEK in Tsukuba
Other uses
Due to its universal structure, Geant4 is also well suited for other areas of application:
- Space applications where Geant4 is used to study cosmic ray interactions with spaceships;
- Medical applications in which the effects of radioactivity on the human body are investigated (e.g. to combat tumors)
See also
- CLHEP , FreeHEP and ROOT , software libraries for high energy physics
- PYTHIA : program for simulating particle collisions.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Geant4 Open Source Project on Open Hub: Languages Page . In: Open Hub . (accessed on September 26, 2018).
- ↑ Geant4 Software License ( English ) cern. June 28, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2019.