Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) in GEANT4: Development, validation, and testing

Despite its utility and applicability, the ability to simulate the NRF technique is not currently included in GEANT4. Here we describe the development, validation and testing of NRF in GEANT4 for 10 separate isotopes. An NRF class named G4NRF was developed to handle NRF physics. Validation of the simulation was performed by benchmarking it against experimental measurements for measured counts from gamma-ray scattering in water and metallic samples. The validation results show agreement between the simulation and experimental spectra for the appearance of the NRF peak. We have begun applying the NRF simulation for medical research, and we are seeking to make the NRF physics code available to the GEANT4 community in a future release.