pyPEN: a graphical user-friendly interface for Monte Carlo simulation in medical physics

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation can be used in teaching the physics of ionizing radiation with applications in medical physics. However, the free MC codes available are not user-friendly for new and inexperienced users, limiting their use as an educational tool. This study focuses on the development of a user-friendly graphical interface for MC simulations with a focus on learning the interaction of ionizing radiation applied to Medical Physics. The interface is an executable file developed in Python 3.9. The interface serves as a frontend for the simulations performed by the PENELOPE v. 2014 code with the penEasy v. 2015 extension. Two types of simulations are available: (i) Particle tracking and (ii) Dose deposition. The results obtained in case (i) are presented graphically as three figures that show the trajectory of electrons, photons and positrons, respectively. For case (ii), the result is the dose as a function of the depth of a box-shaped volume. In summary, this interface, with simple geometry and fast simulations, in an interactive environment, offers a wide range of possibilities for understanding the interaction of radiation with matter, which is the basis of medical physics.

Keywords:
Medical Physics; Monte Carlo simulation; Radiation physics teaching; Graphical interface; Interaction of radiation with matter