ANTS3 highlights

• Monte Carlo particle simulations: an adavanced frontend for Geant4 toolkit
  • Multi-process simulation with computer farm support
  • Interactive GUI for configuration and visualisation of the results
  • Custom "convinience" objects in geometry definition: stacks, arrays, protoype/instances etc
  • Custom scoring infrastructure (monitors, calorimeters, particle analyzers etc)
  • Flexible options for generation of primary particles (sources, files, multiple-stage simulations)
  • Direct interface from energy deposition to optical photon generation
• Custom optical tracer based on CERN ROOT 3D navigation module
  • Fresnel-based photon tracing
  • Custom rules for optical interfaces, rough surfaces, interface tester infrastructure
  • Possibility to add "functional objects": complement Monte Carlo tracing with matematical expression-driven transport (e.g. thin lense, optical fiber)
  • Flexible scoring and tracing history recording
• Scripting support with full access to configuration, simulation and processing of the results
  • Python interface
  • JavaScript interface
• Unsupervised optimization of the detector parameters based on scripting system involving Simplex minimizer
• Position reconstruction of events using statistical techniques based on the light response model of the detector
• WebSocket server for creating custom extensions

A paper describing ANTS3

• Published in Compter Physics Communications: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2025.109869
  • Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.07922

New features in version 2.0 (released on August 3, 2026)

• Added support for Mercury position reconstruction library (previously integrated in Ants2)
  • Two new scripting units: "response" (light response model handling) and "mercury" (position reconstruction)
• Added photon simulation mode based on light response model
• The concept of intrinsic energy resolution for primary scintillation is replaced with Fano factor formalism
• Relative gains of the light sensors can be configured directly (see "Sensors" window)
• Geometry constants can be used in particle and photon sources
• Add simulation of annihilation gamma acolinearity
• Refactor photon simulation GUI
• Refactor indication of particle/photon sources (consolidated controls are at the geometry window)

New features in version 1.07 (released on September 29, 2025)

• EcoMug soure of cosmic muons can be used in particle simulations
• NCrystal support: see installation instructions below ("Optional features")

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Installation instructions

• Ubuntu 24.04 Mate
• Outdated: Ubuntu 24.04 Mate with Qt5
• Outdated: Ubuntu 22.04 Mate

Optional features, requiring separate installation

• NCrystal library for neutron scattering: see installation instructions

Test on a virtual machine

• It is possible to try Ants3 v1.07 using a pre-configured virtual machine: follow installation instructions
• The development team is working to provide a Flatpak installation, expected at the end of August 2026

How to use Farm mode

• On every farm node computer start dispatcher executable from a terminal, supplying three parameters: IP address, port, maxNumberOfProcesses

  • For example (replace the 'x'es by the actual IP!):

  /ants3bundle/build/Desktop_Qt_6_8_2-Debug/bin/dispatcher xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 12344 6

• At the main window of ANTS3 click "Workload"

• Check "Use farm" box

• Click "New" and fill the IP and port for every farm node

• The simulations in ANTS3 will be automatically distributed over the farm nodes

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Latest tested software versions

• 3 August 2026 --> Ubuntu Mate 24.04, Qt 6.11.0, CERN ROOT 6.32.10, Geant4 11.3.2
• 19 September 2025 --> Ubuntu Mate 24.04, Qt 6.9.2, CERN ROOT 6.32.10, Geant4 11.3.2
• 21 April 2025 --> Ubuntu Mate 24.04, Qt 6.9.0, CERN ROOT 6.32.10, Geant4 11.3.0
• 22 February 2025 --> Ubuntu Mate 24.04, Qt 6.8.2, CERN ROOT 6.32.10, Geant4 11.3.0