TURTLE: A C library for an optimistic stepping through a topography

Abstract

TURTLE is a C library providing utilities allowing to navigate through a topography described by a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The library has been primarily designed for the Monte Carlo transport of particles scattering over medium to long ranges, e.g. atmospheric muons. But, it can also efficiently handle ray tracing problems with very large DEMs ($10^9$ nodes or more), e.g. for neutrino simulations. The TURTLE library was built on an optimistic ray tracing algorithm, detailed in the present paper. This algorithm proceeds by trials and errors, approximating the topography within the modelling uncertainties of the DEM data. This allows to traverse a topography in constant time, i.e. independently of the number of grid nodes, and with no added memory. Detailed performance studies are provided by comparison to other ray tracing algorithms and as an application to muon transport in a Monte Carlo simulation.

arXiv comment35 pages, 15 figure

References in corpus (5)

• The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND): Science and Design
• MUM: flexible precise Monte Carlo algorithm for muon propagation through thick layers of matter
• The TIANSHAN Radio Experiment for Neutrino Detection
• Backward Monte-Carlo applied to muon transport
• Radio Sources in the NCP Region Observed with the 21 Centimeter Array

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Tau Neutrinos in the Next Decade: from GeV to EeV
• Radio-detection of neutrino-induced air showers: the influence of topography
• End-to-end simulations of the MUon RAdiography of VESuvius experiment
• Goupil: A Monte Carlo engine for the backward transport of low-energy gamma-rays
• Simulation tools, first results and experimental status of the MURAVES experiment