Geant4-DNA example applications for track structure simulations in liquid water: A report from the Geant4-DNA...

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Computational Physics
• Radiation Physics

Background:

• Geant4-DNA is a toolkit for simulating radiation interactions at the DNA level.
• Accurate simulation of track structures (TS) in liquid water is crucial for understanding radiation effects.
• Existing physics models in Geant4-DNA require evaluation for improved accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe Geant4-DNA user applications for simulating track structures in liquid water.
• To evaluate the accuracy of different Geant4-DNA physics models against international recommendations.
• To provide reference applications for users conducting TS simulations.

Main Methods:

• Description of Geant4-DNA user applications for TS simulations.
• Simulation of physical quantities like range, stopping power, and mean free path in liquid water.
• Comparison of simulation results with established recommendations (e.g., ICRU, MIRD).

Main Results:

• Newer physics model sets ('option4', 'option6') in Geant4-DNA demonstrate enhanced accuracy for simulating stopping powers, dose point kernels, and W-values in liquid water.
• These advanced models outperform the default 'option2' model set.
• The described applications serve as valuable references for Geant4-DNA users.

Conclusions:

• Geant4-DNA's 'option4' and 'option6' physics models significantly improve the accuracy of simulating electron interactions and associated physical quantities in liquid water.
• The provided user applications are essential for validating and advancing TS simulations in radiobiology and medical physics.
• These tools facilitate more precise estimations of radiation dosimetry and biological effects.