McStas (ii): An overview of components, their use, and advice for user contributions

TL;DR

This paper provides an overview of McStas components, illustrating their use through examples, and offers guidance for users to contribute new components to enhance the simulation toolkit.

Contribution

It offers a detailed overview of McStas component classes, including examples and practical advice for user contributions, advancing the usability and extensibility of the software.

Findings

Demonstrates use of component classes with example instruments

Provides guidelines for writing and contributing new components

Highlights the importance of user contributions for software success

Abstract

An key element of the success of McStas is the component layer where users and developers alike are contributing to the description of new physical models and features. In McStas, components realise all physical elements of the simulated instrument from source via optics and samples to detector. In this second review paper of the McStas package, we present an overview of the component classes in McStas: sources, monitors, optics, samples, misc, and contrib. Within each component class we give thorough examples of high-quality components, including their algorithms and example use. We present two example instruments, one for a continuous source and one for a time-of-flight source, that together demonstrate the use of the main component classes. Finally, we give tips and instructions that will allow the reader to write good components and elucidate the pathway of contributing new components to McStas.