Comparison between PHITS and GEANT4 Simulations of the Heavy Ion Beams at the BEVALAC at LBNL and the Booster Accelerator at BNL

Heavy charged particles have been discussed for clinical use due to their superior dose-depth distribution compared to conventional radiation such as X-rays. In addition, high-charge and energy (HZE) ions in galactic cosmic rays (GCR) present important health risks for crewed space missions to the Earth’s moon or Mars. Experiments at heavy ion accelerators are used in radiobiology studies; however, numerical simulations of track segment or Bragg peak irradiations are complicated by the details of the beam-line and dosimetry systems. The goal of the present work is in support of biophysics modeling of historical radiobiology data at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and more recent results from the Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) facility (NASA Space Radiation Lab (NSRL)). In this work, the Spread-Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) of (4)He, (12)C, and (20)Ne particles, and a Bragg curve of (56)Fe ion have been simulated numerically in the geometries of LBNL and BNL using the Monte-Carlo based PHITS and GEANT4 simulation toolkits. The dose contributions of primary particles and secondary particles, including neutrons and photons, in the target material are computed and discussed as well. Comparisons suggest more contributions of secondaries in GEANT4 simulations compared to PHITS simulations for primary ions heavier than (4)He ions, and less statistical fluctuation and better prediction of neutrons in PHITS simulations. Neutrons and gamma-rays are estimated to make minor contributions to absorbed doses for these beams.