Geant4
|
|
Geant4 (for GEometry ANd Tracking) is a platform for "the simulation of the passage of particles through matter." It is the most recent in the GEANT series of software toolkits developed by CERN, and the first to use Object oriented programming (in C++). According to its website, "Its application areas include high energy physics and nuclear experiments, medical, accelerator and space physics studies."
Geant4 includes facilities for handling geometry, tracking, detector response, run management, visualization and user interface. For many physics simulations, this means less time need be spent on the low level details, and researchers can start immediately on the more important aspects of the simulation.
Following is a summary of each of the facilities listed above:
- Geometry is an analysis of the physical layout of the experiment, including detectors, absorbers, etc., and considering how this layout will affect the path of particles in the experiment.
- Tracking is simulating the passage of a particle through matter. This involves considering possible interactions and decay processes.
- Detector response is recording when a particle passes through the volume of a detector, and approximating how a real detector would respond.
- Run management is recording the details of each run (a set of events), as well as setting up the experiment in different configurations between runs.
- Geant4 offers a number of options for visualization, including OpenGL, and a familiar user interface, based on Bash.
The source code for Geant4 is freely available, and is used by a number of research projects around the world.
External links
- Official website at CERN (http://geant4.web.cern.ch/geant4/)