G4XRTube: A Geant4-based Monte Carlo application for X-ray tube simulation

Abstract

This paper focuses mainly on the generation of X-rays in the X-ray tubes and their utilization in imaging applications. In this work, the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit was used to develop an application for simulating the production of X-rays in X-ray tubes. This Geant4-based Monte Carlo application generates X-ray spectra depending on anode angle, tube voltage, filter and anode material. In addition to X-ray spectra, G4XRTube can be used, for instance, for the prediction of half-value layer (HVL) and investigation of anode heel effect. The utilization of G4XRTube can also be extended to include other fields such as radiation protection, shielding, dosimetry and investigation of the performance of X-ray tubes and detectors. The results obtained in this work with G4XRTube were validated against existing data in the literature. Specifically, we compared our results with experimental literature data and TASMICS, SpekCalc, and SpekPy codes. The comparison shows a good agreement between G4XRTube results and other data.