These simulations can be highly time-consuming. Thus, since the CPU time available on SPENVIS for a single user is limited, the calculations are stopped if the program duration time exceeds a limit. This can be often the case for calculations on maps or orbit trajectories. Therefore, users are welcome to utilize SPENVIS to produce and download the macro-file but is recommended that they download the stand-alone version of Planetocosmics to make a run.
Note that the Planetocosmics application makes use of the Geant4 toolkit [4]. The complete Planetocosmics user manual is available online as a PDF-document.
Users can go to any particular input page and enter their settings. After they are done, they can hit the button and return to the main model page. Once they are satisfied with all their input they can use the button to generate the macro file. Pressing the button will start the calculation and bring up the results page.
Since the model uses a Monte-Carlo simulation-based code, execution times can be very long, certainly for cut-off calculations. The execution is limited to five minutes of CPU-time on the simulation machine. If the Planetocosmics run exceeds this limit, the simulation will be terminated and intermediate results returned to the user.
When flat type geometry is selected, the inputs for the reference coordinate system, longitude and latitude are used for specifying the centre of the Planetocosmics simulation world. Then, the initial position of the source is defined by the two Cartesian coordinates X, Y and the altitude (all three measured in [km] or planet’s radius, [Rp]) provided by the user.
However, for the spherical geometry is sufficient to provide only a longitude, latitude and altitude (the two first in degree and the latter in km or planet’s radius) and the reference coordinate system.
The possible potitional reference coordinate systems are: Planetodetic Planetographic Planet-magnetic Planet-centric Equatorial Inertial Planet-centric Solar Ecliptic Planet-centric Solar Magnetospheric Solar Magnetic
For both types of geometry the user can specify the initial direction of the source by providing a zenith and azimuth angle (both in degree) measured in one of the following coordinate systems: Planetographic Planetodetic Planet-magnetic Planet-centric Equatorial Inertial Planet-centric Solar Ecliptic Planet-centric Solar Magnetospheric Solar Magnetic
Note that the SPENVIS background pages contain a detailed description of all the coordinate systems used in Planetocosmics for Earth. The coordinate systems for the other planets can be defined in a similar way.
A user can specify the energy range by providing a minimum and a maximum energy value in [ eV ][ keV ] [ MeV ][ GeV ].
In a addition, one can choose one or more secondary partcle types to be considered in the analysis from the following list: proton neutron electron gamma pion muon
Finally, a user can define up to 5 detectors by providing the detector's altitude in [m] or [km]. Note that these detectors indicate the altitudes where flux of shower particles will be registered during the Planetocosmics simulation.
The user can provide the number of bins dividing the altitude/depth axis for the atmosphere and the depth/thickness axis for the soil.
When an atmospheric model is selected, a user has the possibility to provide a cut in range that is constant in depth (but not in length) for the whole atmosphere. This in turn prevents the production of the selected particles below an energy threshold. A user can also select a cut in range for a given soil layer. In both case the cut in range is measured in [ g/cm2 ] [ g/m2 ] [ kg/m2 ].
The macro file spenvis_pco.g4mac contains the Geant4 Macro file. The log file spenvis_pco.g4log records the output from Planetocosmics to stdout and stderr. The output file spenvis_pco.txt contains tabulated results according to the selected analysis scenario (particle fluxes or energy deposition).
spenvis_pco.g4mac
spenvis_pco.g4log
spenvis_pco.txt
To generate plots, select the plot type(s), options and graphics format when applicable, and click the button. The current page will be updated with the newly generated plot files.