Nuclide++: A C++ module to include DDEP recommended radioactive decay Data in Geant4

Cheick Thiam (1) , Christophe Dulieu (1) , Xavier Mougeot (1) , A. Nair (2) , Christophe Bobin (1) , Mark Kellett (1)

1 LNHB - Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel
2 Mody University of Science and Technology

This article describes the Nuclide$++$ module developed at LNE-LNHB to simulate the decay schemes related to single or multiple radionuclides, by randomly selecting decay pathways. Written in C$++$, with respect of the Geant4 coding style, this module can be used transparently in Geant4-based simulation applications as an alternative to the existing Radioactive Decay Module (RDM). Nuclide$++$ takes advantage of the DDEP recommended data, accurate $\beta$-emitting spectra calculation and detailed description of the atomic rearrangement. This module can be useful in many applications, especially those involving radioactive sources. The reliability of the module was verified through comparisons with a while chosen radionuclides.

Keywords: C++ module; nuclide data; DDEP data; radionuclide; ionizing radiation; radioactivity; metrology; beta spectrum; Monte Carlo; simulation; Geant4; Decay Data Evaluation Project; Radioactive decay; decay scheme; Decay data evaluation; Geant4 simulation 2

Domains: Nuclear Theory [nucl-th]; Methodology [stat.ME]; Applications [stat.AP]; Computational Physics [physics.comp-ph]

Cheick Thiam, Christophe Dulieu, Xavier Mougeot, A. Nair, Christophe Bobin, et al.. Nuclide++: A C++ module to include DDEP recommended radioactive decay Data in Geant4. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2020, 156, pp.108964. ⟨10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.108964⟩. ⟨cea-02475909⟩