Title :
Physics Settings for Using the Geant4 Toolkit in Proton Therapy
Author :
Jarlskog, Christina Zacharatou ; Paganetti, Harald
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Radiat. Oncology, Massachusetts Gen. Hosp. & Harvard Med. Sch., Boston, MA
fDate :
6/1/2008 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
We simulated electromagnetic and nuclear processes induced by clinical proton beams in order to select the physics setting for the 8.1 version of the Geant4 toolkit. A modular physics list was constructed allowing for alternative processes and models to be invoked in the simulations. We validated the Monte Carlo by means of measured depth-dose distributions in water for 86 MeV and 209 MeV beams and measured longitudinal charge profiles in a stack of polyethylene absorbers (multilayer Faraday cup) for a 160 MeV beam. Best agreement between simulation and measurement was found for the standard electromagnetic and binary cascade models of Geant4.
Keywords :
Monte Carlo methods; dosimetry; medical computing; proton beams; radiation therapy; Geant4 toolkit 8.1; Monte Carlo simulations; binary cascade models; clinical proton beams; depth-dose distributions; electromagnetic cascade models; electromagnetic processes; electron volt energy 160 MeV; electron volt energy 209 MeV; electron volt energy 86 MeV; longitudinal charge profiles; modular physics list; multilayer Faraday cup; nuclear processes; physics settings; polyethylene absorbers; proton therapy; Charge measurement; Current measurement; Electromagnetic measurements; Medical treatment; Monte Carlo methods; Nonhomogeneous media; Particle beams; Physics; Polyethylene; Protons; Geant4; Monte Carlo; physics validation; proton therapy;
Journal_Title :
Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TNS.2008.922816
