Abstract

Recently, a validated tissue optics plug-in based on the Geometry and Tracking 4 (GEANT4) Monte Carlo framework was developed for radiation-induced light transport in biological media. However, the novelty of the work extends beyond the simulation of light generated by ionizing radiation (i.e., the Cherenkov effect and scintillation), as users may take advantage of the many inherent features associated with GEANT4 (i.e., complex heterogeneous geometries, multiple sources and detectors, comprehensive data recording options, and advanced software visualization). Furthermore, with the recently updated plug-in users may utilize such features as user-defined input source spectra for broadband optical sources and detection, custom user-defined scattering phase functions, and simulations in voxelized geometries generated from imported DICOM stacks to name a few. The plug-in, user guide, and a number of example files are available online at http://www.dartmouth.edu/optmed/research-projects/monte-carlo-software/.

© 2014 Optical Society of America