35th EURADOS Webinar: Monte Carlo simulations for radiation dosimetry: from macroscopic models to track structure codes
When?
December 3rd, 2026, 14:00-15:00 (CET)
Abstract
Monte Carlo simulation is possibly the most commonly used computational method in radiation dosimetry, able to address numerous problems that cannot practically be solved experimentally. Overall, this webinar will serve as an introduction to the Monte Carlo method in this context, starting from the macroscopic scales commonly considered in radiation therapy and radiation protection and moving towards the micrometric and nanometric scales at which radiation damage originates.
The first part is designed to give an introduction to the Monte Carlo method itself, and then discussing the more applied aspects in the context of radiation protection and radiation dosimetry. To computationally assess different radiation exposure scenarios, the movement of the particles and their interactions with matter has to be predicted. There are several examples of general purpose Monte Carlo codes for particle transport, each with some advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios.
Understanding the general capabilities of these codes is essential to successfully applying them - example scenarios will be shown to show some of the variety of calculations that are possible.
By the end of this section, it should be clear whether your own scenario could benefit from using Monte Carlo simulations, and give an idea of where to start when performing those calculations.
As the site size decreases from the macroscopic to the microscopic scale, the stochastic nature of radiation interactions becomes increasingly apparent, eventually becoming dominant at the nanometre scale. This is the domain of microdosimetry and nanodosimetry, where energy deposition can no longer be adequately described by single average values, but must instead be characterized in terms of probability distributions. Monte Carlo simulations must therefore account for these stochastic effects. At the micrometre scale and above, condensed-history approaches, based on multiple-scattering models and average energy loss along each transport step, are generally adequate for describing the relevant physical quantities. At the nanometre scale, however, the number of interactions within the site may be very small, requiring the use of track-structure codes to simulate individual interactions explicitly. In the second part, the webinar will explore the key aspects to consider when setting up Monte Carlo simulations at micrometric and nanometric scales, especially regarding transport parameters and approaches to scoring relevant quantities. The capabilities of some commonly used general-purpose codes will be briefly reviewed through examples involving different particle types, while also highlighting the crucial role of validating simulation results against experimental data.
Agenda
14:00 – 14:05 Introduction of the webinar topic and speakers (Jon Eakins, UKHSA)
14:05 – 14:35 Introduction to Monte Carlo simulation (Max Taylor, UKHSA)
14:35 – 15:05 From the macroscale to track structure codes (Anna Selva, Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics)
Speakers
Max Taylor
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
Dr Max Taylor is early career researcher working in the Radiation Metrology group at the UK Health Security Agency. He works at the intersection of computational and experimental approaches to radiation dosimetry, and at EURADOS his work is mostly aligned with Working Group 6: Computational Dosimetry and Working Group 2: Harmonisation of Individual Monitoring.
His computational work is focused on supporting technical developments in neutron dosimetry, with use of Monte Carlo radiation transport codes investigating scattered neutron fields in calibration labs, and exploration of machine learning approaches to the analysis of nuclear track detectors.
Anna Selva
Legnaro National Laboratories of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNL)
Anna Selva is a researcher in the microdosimetry group at the Legnaro National Laboratories of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNL). Her main research interest is the study of radiation action at subcellular scales, using microdosimetric and nanodosimetric techniques, and its Monte Carlo modelling for applications in radiation therapy and radiation protection. She has worked in the development and characterization of Tissue-Equivalent Proportional Counters for microdosimetry, with a specific focus on particle therapy and Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. She is Secretary of EURADOS Working Group 6 on computational dosimetry, and Leader of Task Group 6.2 on micro- and nanodosimetry.