Preliminary results coupling "Stochastic Mean Field" and "Boltzmann-Langevin One Body" models with Geant4

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Medical Physics
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are crucial for medical applications, particularly in simulating particle interactions in ion therapy.
• Accurate nuclear reaction models are essential for reliable MC simulations in this field.
• Current Geant4 toolkit models exhibit limitations in reproducing experimental yields for ion beams below 100 MeV/u interacting with thin targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address limitations in Geant4's nuclear interaction models for low-energy ion beams.
• To interface and evaluate the performance of the Stochastic Mean Field (SMF) and Boltzmann-Langevin One Body (BLOB) models within the Geant4 toolkit.
• To improve the accuracy of MC simulations for ion therapy applications.

Main Methods:

• Interfaced SMF and BLOB models, both semi-classical one-body approaches solving the Boltzmann-Langevin equation, with the Geant4 toolkit.
• Utilized an identical treatment for mean-field propagation based on the same effective interaction for both models.
• Tested a correction for excitation energy of light fragments and a simple coalescence model.

Main Results:

• Both SMF and BLOB models demonstrated strong performance in reproducing experimental yields of light fragments, including alpha particles.
• The simulation focused on the interaction of 12C ions with a thin carbon target at 62 MeV/u.
• The models showed good agreement with experimental data for light fragment production.

Conclusions:

• The Boltzmann-Langevin One Body (BLOB) model yielded particularly promising results, indicating its potential for accurate simulations.
• The study highlights the importance and benefit of integrating advanced models like BLOB into the Geant4 toolkit.
• Enhanced simulation accuracy can lead to improved treatment planning and patient outcomes in ion therapy.