Prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) of hydrocarbons: A monte carlo study with GEANT4

In the present work, the results of prompt gamma (γ) neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) calculated by the open source GEANT4 Monte Carlo toolkit were compared with the commercial simulation package MCNP Both the Monte Carlo simulation packages utilize the phenomenological nuclear reactions to yield γ rays which are coupled with incident neutrons after these reactions. A virtual experimental setup with a 4π solid-angle γ detection was instantiated in the simulations to collect all prompt γ rays from the tested hydrocarbon phantoms. The comparative results present good agreement in getting the characteristic γ energy spectra of hydrocarbon materials.