Geant4: a toolkit for the simulation of the interaction of radiation
with matter. Overview, validation and recent developments
The simulation of the interaction of radiation with matter is a
challenging aspect of many scientific domains. In high energy physics
simulations are used to design and optimize the experimental detectors
used to collect the data; analysis strategies are developed and tuned
using simulations even before the experiments are build. In medical
physics the use of different types of radiation to perform
non-invasive imaging of the human body or to cure some types of tumors
are disciplines in strong expansion. Simulation codes are used to
design both imaging detectors and medical accelerators and they are
used to validate the planning of effective therapies. In space science
application simulations are used to optimize the shielding of
satellites and study the effect of high energy cosmic ray on the
spacecraft electronics.
While Monte Carlo simulation tools have become ubiquitous tools for
scientists, general purpose systems, that can be used in many
different scientific domains, are not widespread. In this talk we will
overview one of these general purpose systems: Geant4. Its
capabilities in describing experimental setups and its wide physics
coverage will be presented. Example of applications and validation of
results will be discussed together with an overview of recent
developments and future extensions.