Monte-Carlo Simulation of Hadronic and Electromagnetic Interactions

of Protons through a Solid Tungsten Cylinder

Harsh Menon†
Department of Physics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott AZ 86301

This document reports on a Monte-Carlo simulation performed using GEANT 4.8.1 involving the passage
of 100 protons through a solid cylinder. Hadronic as well as electromagnetic interactions were included in the
simulation. A 3-dimensional graphical representation of the energy deposition in the tungsten cylinder is also
presented. Energy was deposited both along the axis of the cylinder as well as radially. An energy deposition
histogram inside the cylinder is also presented. The protons had a stopping distance of about -13 cm in the z
direction.

I. Introduction

The need for a propulsion technology more efficient than chemical propulsion has led researchers and
scientists to pursue more exotic means of propulsion, such as antimatter propulsion. However, a
considerable amount of work still needs to be done before antimatter technology can be considered a stable
and achievable reality. This report presents the results of the second of a set of computational experiments
that was performed using GEANT 4.8.1. GEANT is a computer program that simulates electromagnetic
and hadronic interactions of sub-atomic particles.1 As opposed to physical experimentation, Monte-Carlo
simulations provide an alternate and cheaper means to obtain valuable insight into the particle interactions
that are critical to the functionality of the antimatter propulsion engine.

Monte-Carlo simulations are simulations performed to understand and control complex stochastic
systems such as those present in the anti-matter propulsion engine.2 These systems are often too complex to
be understood or controlled by analytic or numerical methods, and, therefore, a simulation has to be
performed at every point of the system. The simulation is based on the physical processes that are defined
to exist in the system.

In the first GEANT simulation, only electromagnetic interactions were taken into account. However, in
this simulation electromagnetic as well as hadronic interactions were accounted for. The purpose of this
experiment was to observe hadronic interactions in GEANT and plot the energy deposition that occurs in
the target. A plot of the energy deposition in the target would represent the first step towards designing the
basic-antimatter propulsion engine as the energy deposition would then be used to optimize the shape of the
engine as well as evaluate the efficiency of the engine.

This simulation involved firing 100 protons, each with 100 MeV of kinetic energy, through a solid
tungsten cylinder. The experimental results were then plotted to determine the energy deposition in the
cylinder.

II. Experiment

A beam of a 100 protons was fired into 1 solid tungsten cylinder surrounded by vacuum. The tungsten
cylinder had a radius of one half the nuclear interaction length of tungsten, or 4.79 cm. The height of the
cylinder was set to be 4 times the nuclear interaction length of tungsten or 38.32 cm. Vacuum was
simulated by reducing the density of air (consisting of 80% Nitrogen and 20% Oxygen) by a factor of 100
to 0.0129 mg/cm3. The protons were provided with an incoming energy of 100 MeV. The setup can be seen
in Fig. 1:

†
Student, Department of Physics, ERAU Prescott, AZ 86301

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 Figure 1. Experimental setup in GEANT.

Fig. 1 shown above was obtained through a visualization program known as JAS3. The blue lines represent
protons, while the green lines represent daughter particles formed from the interaction of the protons with
tungsten (such as neutrons, positrons, gamma rays etc.). The protons were fired in the z-direction at an
initially starting point of -50 cm.

The solid cylinder was oriented so that its height was along the z-axis. The working volume was defined to
be a cubical box (1m x 1m x 1m) that contained the beam and the targets. All particles and interactions that
were inside the working volume were tracked and their momenta, energies, directions and locations were
recorded.

A default step size was used which was modified by GEANT depending on a number of parameters
including, but not limited to, energy lost in that step, location of particle (vacuum or inside the target),
kinetic energy prior to that step etc. The physics of the simulation included hadronic and electromagnetic
interactions.

III. Analysis

Several hadronic particles and processes were observed in this simulation confirming that hadronic physics
had been successfully activated in the simulation. The processes observed in this simulation are listed
below:

1. Generic ion ionization as well as electron ionization,

2. Multiple scattering,
3. Compton scattering,
4. Proton and neutron elastic and inelastic collisions,
5. Positron annhiliation,
6. Positron ionization and bremsstrahlung,
7. Neutron capture,
8. Photo-electric effect,
9. Pair conversion,
10. Nuclear fission.

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The particles observed in this simulation are listed below:

1. Tugsten-186,184,183,182,181,180,179,178,176,175,173
2. Rhenium-181, 178
3. Tantalum-178, 172
4. Neutrons,
5. Positrons,
6. Gamma rays,
7. Electrons,
8. Alpha particles.

Having detected hadronic particles and processes, the next step of the analysis involved plotting the energy
deposition inside the cylinder on a 3-dimensional plot. The energy deposition inside the solid tungsten
cylinder can be seen in Fig. 2:

Figure 2. Energy deposition in solid tungsten cylinder.

Fig. 2 shows that the energy deposition is concentrated towards the base of the cylinder and then gradually
decreases (the protons enter from z = -50 cm, but the cylinder starts at z = -19.16 cm). Close to the base of
the cylinder, there appears to be a concentrated “beam” of energy deposition along the axis of the cylinder
which stops at approximately z = -13 cm. Most of the data points in Fig. 2 are blue which means most of
the particles deposited energy between 0 MeV and 0.7 MeV. An analysis of the raw data obtained from

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GEANT showed that out of the total number of particles in the simulation, 78.5% of the particles deposited
energy between 0 MeV and 0.5 MeV. Since most of the data points are in blue, the variation in energy
deposition cannot be seen in the preceding graph. Therefore, in order to better visualize the energy
deposition, Fig. 2 was modified to only include those particles that deposited energy between 0 MeV and
0.5 MeV. This energy deposition graph can be seen in Fig. 3:

Figure 3. Energy deposition in solid tungsten cylinder in the energy range 0 MeV – 0.5 MeV.

Fig. 3 shows that even in the modified energy deposition graph, most of the energy is deposited only in the
small range from 0 MeV to 0.11 MeV. However, the graph also shows the trends in energy deposition with
more red, blue and yellow points than Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows that when the protons initially strike the solid
cylinder, most of them keep penetrating the cylinder until they reach their stopping distance (approximately
z = -13 cm) where they lost most of their energy. As the protons pass through the cylinder, they strike other
particles and impart energy to the other particles which result in showers as evidenced by the presence of
bremsstrahlung and pair production in the observed processes3. A histogram of the energy deposition as a
function of distance along the z-axis was then created, which can be seen in Fig. 4:

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 Figure 4. Histogram of energy deposition in solid tungsten cylinder as a function of distance along the z-axis.

Fig. 4 shows that energy deposition in the solid cylinder has a peak at around z = -13 cm, and gradually
decreases with distance along the z-axis. The shape of the above histogram is similar to that of a
Landau distribution with the most probable energy loss at z = -13 cm.

IV. Conclusions

This second Monte-Carlo simulation performed using GEANT acted as a proof of concept test, verifying
the ability to use the software to accurately predict hadronic as well as electrogmagnetic particle
interactions. The kinetic energies of the protons (100 MeV) were a more realistic approximation of the
incoming energy the protons would have in the antimatter engine, compared to 1 GeV in the first
experiment.

The beam of 100 protons was fired into 1 solid tungsten cylinder placed in vacuum. The energy
deposition inside the cylinder was visualized graphically in a 3-dimensional plot. 78.5% of the particles
deposited energy in the energy range 0 MeV to 0.5 MeV. The energy was deposited both along the axis of
the cylinder, as well as radially. The protons were believed to have penetrated to a distance of
approximately z = -13 cm. During their passage, the protons imparted their energy to other particles and
produced a cascade of interactions evidenced by the presence of bremsstrahlung and pair production in the
observed processes. An energy deposition histogram inside the cylinder was created and the maximum
energy was observed to be at approximately z = -13 cm. The shape of the histogram was found to similar to
that of a Landau distribution.

Having successfully implemented the physics in these simulations, the next experiment should build on
the current experiment and try to optimize the geometry of the engine in order to achieve maximum energy
deposition inside the engine.

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 Acknowledgements

The author would like to take this opportunity to thank and recognize students and faculty who helped
and contributed to this paper. In particular, I would like to thank Tony Tiradani, Dr. Smith and Dr.
McElwain for their help and support.

References
1
“Geant 4 Homepage”, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 2007.
[http://geant4.web.cern.ch/geant4/index.shtml]
2
Haugh, M., “Overview of Monte Carlo Simulation, Probability Review and Introduction to MATLAB”, Department of Industrial
Engineering & Operations Research, Columbia University, New York, 2004.
[http://www.columbia.edu/~mh2078/MCS04/MCS_overview.pdf]
3
Segré, E., Nuclei and Particles: Second Edition, Benjamin/Cummings, Reading, MA, 1982.

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