Validation of Geant4 Low Energy Electromagnetic Processes Against Precision Measurements of Electron Energy Deposition

A comparison of energy deposition profiles produced by Geant4-based simulations against calorimetric measurements is reported, specifically addressing the low energy range. The energy delivered by primary and secondary particles is analyzed as a function of the penetration depth. The experimental data concern electron beams of energy between approximately 50 keV and 1 MeV and several target materials of atomic number between 4 and 92. The simulations involve different sets of physics process models and versions of the Geant4 toolkit. The agreement between simulations and experimental data is evaluated quantitatively; the differences in accuracy observed between Geant4 models and versions are highlighted. The results document the accuracy achievable in use cases involving the simulation of low energy electrons with Geant4 and provide guidance to the experimental applications concerned.