Monte Carlo simulation of X-ray emission using the general-purpose code PENELOPE

PENELOPE is a general-purpose Monte Carlo code system for the simulation of coupled electron and photon transport. It is applicable to all materials and covers the energy range from 50 eV up to 1 GeV. The code implements the most reliable cross sections and relaxation data available for the elements. Cross sections for molecules are generated by adding the atomic cross sections of the constituent atoms. The simulation of electron and positron histories is performed by using a mixed, class II, scheme; hard interactions are simulated individually, whereas the effect of soft interactions is described using multiple-scattering approximations. The code includes a flexible geometry package for automatic tracking of particles in complex geometries consisting of homogeneous bodies limited by quadric surfaces. In this article, we describe briefly the interaction models and transport algorithms implemented in PENELOPE and present results of simulations of X-ray generation by electron beams. Copyright (C) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.