Geant4 versus MCNP

Applications
1

Hi all,

just an opportunity to initiate a discussion, if anyone is interested.

I was reading about the MCNP code and I found the comparison section shown below in its Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Carlo_N-Particle_Transport_Code

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From my brief time with Geant4, I have seen a number of papers focusing on Geant4 applications that would usually include a section with a comparison/validation of the G4 simulation results against a MCNP equivalent.

Does anyone use both codes? What would be the pros and cons of each one - I guess apart from the fact that MCNP is closed-source?
Where does the differentiation between G4 and MCNP lie? e.g. is it the tracking of the particle in 3D space, the different cross section libraries used?
Have you ever had to resort to MCNP to carry out a more accurate simulation for which you would otherwise use G4?
Personally, I have only used Geant4 and would be interested in understanding the energy regions,particle species etc. where Geant4 and MCNP seem to agree the most.

Thank you,
Alex

2

To give you an example, I created a Geant4 code that allows the user to change the number of detectors (so after every run, this can be modified) and also all other parameters (like detector geometry, the position of those detectors, if there is shielding and so on). Being written in C++, you can make your application very customizable. You can also access information about particles’ steps and I think in MCNP you can not control your simulation on that deep transport level.
Also, in MCNP, I will have to modify the code if I want to change parameters like the number of detectors, their geometry etc.

So, Geant4 is very customizable, while MCNP seems to be more solid.

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