Geant4 9.2-beta-01 Release Notes
--------------------------------
4 July 2008
List of main features and fixes included in this Beta release since 9.1.p02:
o Configuration:
-------------
+ Integrated improvements to Qt setup.
+ Embedded AIDA setup in central configuration scripts, simplified
GNUmakefiles in examples.
o Environments:
------------
+ Updated G4Py configure scripts and fixed some minor bugs.
o Event
-----
+ Fixed problem of out of bounds array access in G4SPSEneDistribution.
Added accessors to G4SPSAngDistribution, addressing problem report #1013.
o Geometry:
--------
+ management:
o G4Region: changed condition inside ScanVolumeTree() to check for the
existence of a valid material-scanner pointer to apply the material
scan instead of using the flag for nested structures.
o G4GeometryManager: do not apply optimisation on the current volume
if it has been defined as a regular structure.
o Addresses problem report #990.
+ solids/CSG:
o G4Tubs: fix in DistanceToIn(p,v, ...) in case of point on surface with
very small tangent direction; now returning kInfinity and no longer zero.
It fixes observed cases of zero value returned by both DistanceToIn()
and DistanceToOut(), causing stuck tracks with zero step length.
o G4Sphere: fixed calculation of roots in DistanceToOut(p,v,...) for
theta-conical surfaces interserctions and for sTheta<=90 degree
intersection. Addresses issue reported when running PET application
with optical photons about mis-computation of distance on half-sphere
constructs.
+ solids/specific:
o Enhanced GetPointOnSurface() for generic G4Polycone and G4Polyhedra
constructs.
o Global:
------
+ G4UnitsTable: added units for electric-field, V/m.
+ G4PhysicsVector: introduced cubic spline interpolation, optionally
selectable. Optimised implementation of GetValue() method.
+ G4LPhysicsFreeVector: corrected use of GetValue() to adopt
implementation available from the base class.
+ Modified G4RandomDirection global function to use unit radius sphere
surface algorithm instead of 8-quadrants technique, giving ~30%
performance boost in dedicated stress tests.
+ Changed date for 9.2-beta release.
o Intercoms
---------
+ Added a new function in G4UIcommandTree to find a subtree.
o Interfaces
----------
+ Improvements for layout in Qt driver for Qt3.
o Materials:
---------
+ G4NistElementBuilder: provide unique name for each isotope of an element.
+ G4IonisParamElm: added Fermi velocity and L-factor (both used for
parameterizations of the effective charge and straggling of ions).
G4IonisParamMat: use Fermi velocity and L-factor from G4IonisParamElm.
+ Added virtual destructor to G4SurfaceProperty and derivated.
Addresses problem report #1014.
+ G4Element: added more safe check of consistence between Z and A in the
constructor. Improved printout of errors and warnings.
o Particles:
---------
+ Added UI command for setting the verbosity level on the particle-table.
+ Modified proton mass to be equal to 'proton_mass_c2' from updated
PDG-2006 values in CLHEP (difference is 10 eV).
o Persistency (GDML):
------------------
+ Introducing GDML writer: material properties; support for parameterised
volumes; division volumes; replica volumes; matrices; naming of physical
volumes; Twistedtrap, Twistedtubs, Tet, Twistedbox, Twistedtrd, Hype, Orb,
Para, Ellipsoid, Ellipticaltube, Polyhedra, Torus, Cone, Tube, Extruded,
Boolean (intersection, subtraction, union), Reflections (using scaled
transformation) solids; elements and composite materials.
+ Added support for modular files in GDML writer and reader. Added handling
of precision and optional rounding of errors for imported/exported values.
Added schema validation mechanism and schema files.
+ Added features to reader: physical-volumes name; temperature, pressure
and state of materials; NIST support. Added support for border surface
and skin surface properties.
+ Added optional handling if precision on values loaded.
o Physics Lists:
-------------
+ Updated FTF* lists and physics NOT to use quasi-elastic from CHIPS.
FTF now has quasi-elastic included in the FTF model itself.
+ Updated option2 EM physics (EMX) and added option3. For these
options it is now defined 'linLossLimit' per particle type;
added hadron induced bremsstrahlung and pair production;
using Spline interpolation for physics tables.
+ New helper class G4PhysListFactory for building Physics Lists.
+ Removed obsolete class G4HadronProcessStore.
o Electromagnetic Processes:
-------------------------
+ Low Energy:
o Added PIXE cross section, L-shells, for protons in G4OrlicLCrossSection.
Added semi-Empirical model implementation for L-SubShells-Cross-Section
with protons projectiles.
o New charge transfer process by incident protons (two cross-section and
one final state policy classes).
o Added Doppler broadening to G4LowEnergyCompton, based on "Y.Namito,
S.Ban and H.Hirayama, NIM A 349, pp. 489-494, 1994".
Added Doppler broadening in G4LowEnergyComptonPolarized, same model
as in G4LowEnergyCompton.
o Allow for loading the complete Auger dataset on initialization.
o Requires new data set G4EMLOW.6.1.
+ High Energy:
o Added new Bremsstrahlung and pair-production models for hadrons.
o Added initialization of 'SubType' for all processes.
+ Muons:
o Several fixes and further developments in G4Mu* models and associated
processes.
+ Standard:
o New multiple-scattering model G4WentzelVIModel used in new muon
physics processes.
o Cloned G4UrbanMscModel class into G4UrbanMscModel2; introduced several
fixes and tunings to G4UrbanMscModel2 variant.
o New process G4eMultipleScattering specialized for e+,e-.
o G4eBremsstrahlungHEModel: new model, an extension of the standard
Bremsstrahlung model but using a more sophisticated LPM approach.
o G4PAIxSection: new functions for resonance and Rutherford collisions.
o Fixed nuclear size correction for the G4BetheBlochModel.
o G4ionGasIonisation: fixed bug in update of the dynamic charge of an ion.
o G4IonFluctuations: added protection to the computation of the correction
factor to dispersion which provide smooth transition to small velocities
of an ion; added protection in computation of dispersion on allowing
have a corrected dispersion below Bohr value.
o G4eCoulombScatteringModel: speedup run-time computations using
precomputed nuclear form-factors per element.
o G4WaterStopping: using Spline interpolation.
o Added initialization of 'SubType' for all processes.
+ Utils:
o New class G4VMscModel to define general multiple-scattering parameters.
o New class G4EmElementSelector, a helper class to sample random
G4Element in a compound material.
o Added new correction methods in order to provide a smooth transition
between low-energy parameterization and Bethe-Bloch model in EM
standard processes. Added new G4EmSaturation helper class.
o G4VEnergyLossProcess: fixed computation of NIEL at the last step of a
particle.
o G4LossTableManager: fixed logic in compute dEdx table for an inactive
process.
+ Xrays:
o Added scintillation with Birk's law and make now use of G4EmSaturation
to implement Birks correction.
o Hadronic Processes:
------------------
+ management:
o Added class G4HadronicProcessStore, helper class to keep pointers to
all registered hadronic processes.
+ models/coherent_elastic:
o G4HadronElastic: added counts of abnornal sampling results and
printing out values in the destructor.
+ models/de_excitation:
o G4PhotonEvaporation: atomic relaxation model is no longer applied
following internal electron conversion. Instead the vacant shell index
is passed to radioactive decay model, where the ARM is applied.
o Fixed minor memory leak in G4ExcitationHandler.
+ models/high_energy:
o G4HEInelastic: removed abnormally high pt secondaries due to incident
strange particles by prohibiting the assignment of leading particle to
anything that goes backward in the CM frame.
+ models/neutron_hp:
o Improved energy and angular distributions for both scattered neutron
and recoil targets. Fixed missing inelastic gamma-ray lines.
Addresses problem report #1008.
o Fixed bug for missed pouch-out particles
+ models/parton_string:
o Revised string fragmentation and tuned parameters in FTF model for Pi+P
and pion-nucleon interactions. Implemented quasi-elastic hadron-nucleus
scattering in FTF and formation time; tuned string tension.
+ models/qmd:
o Fixed and changed sampling method of impact parameter in G4QMDReaction.
o Fixed minor memory leaks.
+ models/radioactive_decay:
o G4NuclearDecayChannel: ARM is no longer applied in photon-evaporation
for IT mode and is now applied at the end of DecayIt(); now using the
correct shell index in appling ARM and switching on Auger electron
production. Checking the residual kinetic energy after ARM and adding
it to the atom.
+ models/rpg:
o Fixed energy non-conservation problem in G4RPGFragmentation and in
G4RPGReaction. Fixed K0 ID problem in G4RPGInelastic.
o Generic Processes:
-----------------
+ Biasing:
o Fixed use of 'WeightCutOff' now correctly working in a mass geometry.
o Archived obsolete class G4CellFinder.
+ Cuts:
o Added G4ProductionCutsTableMessenger class.
+ Decay:
o G4DecayWithSpin: modified DecayIt() to allow spin precession also
for EM fields.
+ Scoring:
o Added copying of non-ionizing energy deposit in G4Step.
o Run:
---
+ Invoke G4Particle::DeleteAllParticles() in the destructor of
G4VUserPhysicsList to clear leaks induced by particles created in
the user application.
o Tracking & Track:
----------------
+ Fix in G4SteppingManager for properly update of 'fTouchableHandle'.
Addressing problem report #1009.
+ Reset non-ionizing energy loss in G4Step::ResetTotalEnergyDeposit()
in order to initialize NIEL in each step.
o Visualization:
-------------
+ Fixed remaining gcc-4.3.0 compiler warnings.
+ OpenGL:
o Fixed DBL_MAX problem in 2D drawing.
o Improvements in Qt driver and setup.
o Examples:
--------
+ Various fixes, improvements, adoption of new features.
+ advanced/hadrontherapy:
o Reviewed example to update to the new beam line setup.
+ advanced/microdosimetry:
o New application simulating 10 keV tracks Helium+ (positive
charge is +e) particle in liquid water using only G4DNA processes.
+ extended/gdml:
o general polishing and new convention for running.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Notes
---------------
o Official platforms:
+ Linux, gcc-3.4.6.
Tested on 32 bits architectures and 64 bits architectures
(Intel or AMD) with the Scientific Linux CERN 4 (SLC4) distribution
(based on RedHat Linux Enterprise 4).
Versions of Geant4 have also been compiled successfully on other
Linux distributions, like Debian, Suse or other RedHat systems.
+ MacOSX 10.5, gcc-4.0.1
+ Windows/XP and CygWin Tools with: Visual C++ 9.0 (Visual Studio 2008)
o More verified configurations:
+ Linux, gcc-4.3.1
+ Linux, Intel-icc 10.1
o Geant4 9.2-beta-01 requires the installation of CLHEP-2.0.3.3.
Please refer to the Geant4 User Documentation:
http://cern.ch/geant4/support/userdocuments.shtml
for further information about using Geant4.