Track length inside a volume

ROOT
#1

Hello,

Given a line with its position and direction vectors, representing a particle track, how can I get the track length inside a given volume, using the geometry package?

thanks,
Luciano

#2

Hi Luciano,

Suppose your particle is about to enter this volume, do:

gGeoManager->FindNextBoundaryAndStep(); // now entering your volume
gGeoManager->FindNextBoundaryAndStep(); // now exiting your volume
gGeoManager->GetStep(); // step made inside the volume

Of course that the track need to be initialized:

Cheers,

#3

Hi Andrei,
I use your reply for a problem I’m seeing with TGeoMananger.

I’m moving a point along a certain direction in a geometry that is made of 4 TGeoBBox aligned along the z axis.

I’ve created a method that invokes FindNextBoundaryAndStep() twice, as you suggest. This works fine for first detector, but starts to give non-sense results for the second.

Above you have a printout for a step that worked. Now let’s move to second detector:

You see immediately the problem: TGeoManager believes that the next surface to be crossed is at 5.68989e-16 cm of distance, which sounds me like a Tolerance. So the point is never update and the FfindNextBoundaryAndStep never gives me back a NULL pointer, making infinite my while loop.

Each detector has as half dimensions:

and they are placed in this way:

These are :

Any hint will be really appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,
Marco

#4

Hi Marco,

Can you just send me the geometry macro or the root file generated by: gGeoManager->Export(“mygeom.root”) ? May happen, but normally not for this simple geometry.

cheers

#5

Hi Andrei,
in attachment you have the geometry file.

Many thanks,
Marco
mygeom.root (7.23 KB)

#6

Hi Andrei,
I found a workaround.
I define a minStep as 1.e-8; if I get GetStep() < minStep, then I change the
starting point by moving it along given direction by a step equal to minStep.

Then I test again GetStep(). If now it is greater than minStep, I continue with the
normal navigation with FindNextBoundaryAndStep.
I need to force the step only once per FindNextBoundaryAndStep.

Marco