An easy tool for the Monte Carlo simulation of the passage of photons and electrons through matter

TL;DR

This paper introduces LegPy, an accessible Python-based Monte Carlo tool for simulating low-energy photon and electron passage through matter, offering a balance of speed and accuracy suitable for various practical applications.

Contribution

The paper presents a simplified Monte Carlo algorithm validated against established codes and experiments, implemented in an open-source Python package for broad usability.

Findings

Deviations in deposited energy are within 10% for 0.1-5 MeV in light media.

Algorithm is valid for heavy media but less accurate at high energies.

LegPy provides a user-friendly framework for rapid Monte Carlo simulations.

Abstract

A simple Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm for the simulation of the passage of low-energy gamma rays and electrons through any material medium is presented. The algorithm includes several approximations that accelerate the simulation while maintaining reasonably accurate results. Systematic comparisons for both photons and electrons have been made against the MC code PENELOPE and experimental data to validate the algorithm, showing deviations in the deposited energy smaller than or around 10% in the energy interval of 0.1 - 5 MeV in light media. The simulation is also valid for heavy media, but with less accuracy at high energy. The algorithm has been implemented in an open-source Python package called LegPy, which provides an easy-to-use framework for rapid MC simulations aiming to be useful for applications that do not require the level of detail of available well-established MC programs.