The physics of the FLUKA code: Recent developments

F. Ballarini a, G. Battistoni b, M. Brugger c, M. Campanella b, M. Carboni j, F. Cerutti c, A. Empl d, A. Fasso` e, A. Ferrari c, E. Gadioli b, M.V. Garzelli b, M. Lantz b, A. Mairani a, A. Mostacci j, S. Muraro b, A. Ottolenghi a, V. Patera j, M. Pelliccioni j, L. Pinsky d, J. Ranft f, S. Roesler c, P.R. Sala b,*, D. Scannicchio a, G. Smirnov c,g, F. Sommerer c,h,

S. Trovati a, R. Villari j, V. Vlachoudis c, T. Wilson i, N. Zapp i

a University of Pavia and INFN, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

b University of Milan and INFN, via Celoria 16, I-20133 Milano, Italy

c CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland

d Physics Department, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Blvd., Houston, TX 77204-5005, USA

e SLAC-RP, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA

f Fachbereich Physik, Universitat Siegen, D-57068 Siegen, Germany

g JINR, 141980 Dubna, Moscow region, Russia

h Atominstitut of the Austrian Universities, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Vienna, Austria

i NASA/JSC, Houston, TX, 77058, USA

j Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, INFN, via E. Fermi 40, I-00044 Frascati, Italy

Abstract

FLUKA is a Monte-Carlo code able to simulate interaction and transport of hadrons, heavy ions and electromagnetic particles from few keV (or thermal neutron) to cosmic ray energies in whichever material. The highest priority in the design and development of the code has always been the implementation and improvement of sound and modern physical models. A summary of the FLUKA physical models is given, while recent developments are described in detail: among the others, extensions of the intermediate energy hadronic interaction generator, refinements in photon cross sections and interaction models, analytical on-line evolution of radio-activation and remnant dose. In particular, new developments in the nucleus–nucleus interaction models are discussed. Comparisons with experimental data and examples of applications of relevance for space radiation are also provided.

Keywords: Monte-Carlo simulations; Heavy-ion interactions; Space dosimetry; Ionization energy loss

Corresponding author: paola.sala@mi.infn.it