The GEANT low energy Compton scattering (GLECS) package for use in simulating advanced Compton telescopes

Compton gamma-ray imaging is inherently based on the assumption of gamma-rays scattering with free electrons. In reality, the non-zero momentum of target electrons bound in atoms blurs this ideal scattering response in a process known as Doppler broadening. The design and understanding of advanced Compton telescopes, thus, depends critically on the ability to accurately account for Doppler broadening effects. For this purpose, a Monte Carlo package that simulates detailed Doppler broadening has been developed for use with the powerful, general-purpose GEANT3 and GEANT4 radiation transport codes. This paper describes the design of this package, and illustrates results of comparison with selected experimental data. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.