GATE 10 Monte Carlo particle transport simulation: II. Architecture and innovations

Over the past years, we have developed GATE version 10, a major re-implementation of the long-standing Geant4-based Monte Carlo application for particle and radiation transport simulation in medical physics. This release introduces many new features and significant improvements, most notably a Python-based user interface replacing the legacy static input files. The new functionality of GATE version 10 is described in the part 1 companion paper (Sarrut<i>et al</i>2025 arXiv:2507.09842). The development brought significant challenges. In this paper, we present the solutions that we have developed to overcome these challenges. In particular, we present a modular design that robustly manages the core components of a simulation: particle sources, geometry, physics processes, and data acquisition. The architecture consists of integrated C++ and Python codes. This framework allows for the precise, time-aware generation of primary particles, a critical requirement for accurately modeling positron emission tomography, radionuclide therapies, or prompt-gamma timing systems. We present how GATE 10 handles complex Geant4 physics settings while exposing a simple interface to the user. Furthermore, we describe the methodological solutions that facilitate the seamless integration of advanced physics models and variance reduction techniques. The architecture supports sophisticated scoring of physical quantities (such as Linear Energy Transfer and Relative Biological Effectiveness) and is designed for multithreaded execution. The new user interface allows researchers to script complex simulation workflows and directly couple external tools, such as artificial intelligence models for source generation or detector response. By detailing these architectural innovations, we demonstrate how GATE 10 provides a more powerful and flexible tool for research and innovation in medical physics. This paper is not intended to be a developer guide. Its purpose is to share with the research community in-depth explanations of our development effort that made the new GATE 10 possible.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physics in Medicine and Biology
Published
2025-11-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ae237c
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.07
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article

GATE 10 Monte Carlo particle transport simulation: II. Architecture and innovations

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4 citations
Physics in Medicine and Biology
Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry
6.07
article

GATE 10 Monte Carlo particle transport simulation: II. Architecture and innovations

Nils Krah, Emilie Roncali, Maxime Toussaint, V. Paneta, George C. Kagadis, W. Krzemień, Maxime Jacquet, Thomas Baudier, K. Ziemons, O. Kochebina, Charalampos Tsoumpas, Carlotta Trigila, Loïc Grevillot, Gert Van Hoey, Lydia Maigne, Konstantinos Chatzipapas, Hussein Harb, Sébastien Jan, Panagiotis Papadimitroulas, Han Gyu Kang, Andreas Resch, Philipp Mohr, David Sarrut, H. Fuchs, Yihan Jia, Alexis Pereda, Jing Zhang, Julien Bert, Nicolas Arbor, Martina Favaretto, Guneet Mummaneni, Axel Rannou, Paul Klever
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Over the past years, we have developed GATE version 10, a major re-implementation of the long-standing Geant4-based Monte Carlo application for particle and radiation transport simulation in medical physics. This release introduces many new features and significant improvements, most notably a Python-based user interface replacing the legacy static input files. The new functionality of GATE version 10 is described in the part 1 companion paper (Sarrut<i>et al</i>2025 arXiv:2507.09842). The development brought significant challenges. In this paper, we present the solutions that we have developed to overcome these challenges. In particular, we present a modular design that robustly manages the core components of a simulation: particle sources, geometry, physics processes, and data acquisition. The architecture consists of integrated C++ and Python codes. This framework allows for the precise, time-aware generation of primary particles, a critical requirement for accurately modeling positron emission tomography, radionuclide therapies, or prompt-gamma timing systems. We present how GATE 10 handles complex Geant4 physics settings while exposing a simple interface to the user. Furthermore, we describe the methodological solutions that facilitate the seamless integration of advanced physics models and variance reduction techniques. The architecture supports sophisticated scoring of physical quantities (such as Linear Energy Transfer and Relative Biological Effectiveness) and is designed for multithreaded execution. The new user interface allows researchers to script complex simulation workflows and directly couple external tools, such as artificial intelligence models for source generation or detector response. By detailing these architectural innovations, we demonstrate how GATE 10 provides a more powerful and flexible tool for research and innovation in medical physics. This paper is not intended to be a developer guide. Its purpose is to share with the research community in-depth explanations of our development effort that made the new GATE 10 possible.

Physics in Medicine and BiologyVol. 71(1)
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University Medical Center Groningen (NL), Université de Sherbrooke (CA), University of Thessaly (GR), Inserm (FR), Université de Bretagne Occidentale (FR), University of Groningen (NL), University of Patras (GR), Université Clermont Auvergne (FR), Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (FR), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (FR), Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie et Immunologie Intégrée Nantes Angers (FR), Dimos Athinaion Epicheirisi Michanografisis (Greece) (GR), National Centre for Nuclear Research (PL), Proton Therapy Centre (CZ), University of Clermont Auvergne (FR), Centre Léon Bérard (FR), National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (JP), Laboratoire des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information de la Communication et de la Connaissance (FR), CEA Paris-Saclay (FR), Huisman (Netherlands) (NL), Katholieke Hogeschool Vives (BE), Centre de Recherche en Acquisition et Traitement de l'Image pour la Santé (FR), Clermont Université (FR), MedAustron (AT), Laboratoire de Traitement de l'Information Médicale (FR), Ubitech (Greece) (GR), Organic Waste Systems (Belgium) (BE), Université de Strasbourg (FR), Medical University of Vienna (AT), University of California, Davis (US), Nantes Université (FR), Delft University of Technology (NL), FH Aachen (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry
6.07
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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