Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova CERN, 26 July 2004 Background of the Project

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova 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

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova 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!)

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova 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?

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova 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 L’Aquila –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

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova 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 Michela’s talk Further extensions to lower energies to be explored –not easy! –how to validate them?

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova 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

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: LowE Physics

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: Test & Analysis Project

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: physics validation More in Michela’s talk

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: Toolkit for statistical data analysis (comparison of distributions)

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: dosimetry for radiotherapy Catana Group, INFN LNS

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: REMSIM - radioprotection of astronauts

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities: space environment generator interfaced to Geant4 New project, starting Susanna’s PhD Thesis

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Complementary activities Experimental activities of Geant4 user groups –See talks by Sébastien Incerti, Gérard Montarou –Cellular irradiation at INFN Legnaro

Maria Grazia Pia, INFN Genova Profits of complementary experience and developments in other projects Provides requirements to other projects