A generic algorithm for Monte Carlo simulation of proton transport

A mixed (class II) algorithm for Monte Carlo simulation of the transport of protons, and other heavy charged particles, in matter is presented. The emphasis is on the electromagnetic interactions (elastic and inelastic collisions) which are simulated using strategies similar to those employed in the electron–photon code penelope. Elastic collisions are described in terms of numerical differential cross sections (DCSs) in the center-of-mass frame, calculated from the eikonal approximation with the Dirac–Hartree–Fock–Slater atomic potential. The polar scattering angle is sampled by employing an adaptive numerical algorithm which allows control of interpolation errors. The energy transferred to the recoiling target atoms (nuclear stopping) is consistently described by transformation to the laboratory frame. Inelastic collisions are simulated from DCSs based on the plane–wave Born approximation (PWBA), making use of the Sternheimer–Liljequist model of the generalized oscillator strength, with parameters adjusted to reproduce (1) the electronic stopping power read from the input file, and (2) the total cross sections for impact ionization of inner subshells. The latter were calculated from the PWBA including screening and Coulomb corrections. This approach provides quite a realistic description of the energy-loss distribution in single collisions, and of the emission of X-rays induced by proton impact. The simulation algorithm can be readily modified to include nuclear reactions, when the corresponding cross sections and emission probabilities are available, and bremsstrahlung emission.