Geant4 silver anniversary: 25 years enabling scientific production

Abstract

Abstract This paper summarizes Geant4 contribution to scientific research over the past 25 years through a scientometric analysis of the results with which it has been associated. The scientometric data collected from scholarly literature and databases are evaluated with methods pertaining to econometrics and ecology to quantify relevant traits, diversity and disparity in their scientific and geographic distributions, and to identify statistically significant trends. The analysis reviews the contribution of Geant4 to the field — experimental particle physics — that originally motivated its development and highlights its role in other research domains including nuclear physics and engineering, astrophysics and space science, biomedical physics, archaeology and the cultural heritage.