particlesranging

Particlesranging is a cross-disciplinary term for methods that estimate the distance, range, or spatial extent of particle-like phenomena, from subatomic tracks in detectors to macroscopic particles in imaging, simulation, and robotics. In physics experiments, particle ranging uses time-of-flight measurements, energy loss (dE/dx), track length, and vertex reconstruction to determine how far a particle has traveled within a detector or material. It often combines information from multiple subsystems (scintillators, trackers, calorimeters) with reconstruction algorithms and, in simulations, Monte Carlo transport to predict ranges and compare with data.

In astronomy and high-energy astrophysics, particle ranging helps characterize cascades such as extensive air showers, using depth of shower maximum and lateral distribution to infer primary energy and arrival direction, thereby estimating the distance to the source or primary particle characteristics.

In medical physics, particle ranging is central to particle therapy, where the precise penetration depth of protons or heavier ions in tissue is engineered to maximize tumor dose while sparing healthy tissue; verification techniques include dosimetry and range imaging.

In computer science and robotics, a related concept appears in probabilistic state estimation where particle filters are used to infer the range to a target or obstacle from noisy sensor data.

Common challenges include detector resolution, multiple scattering, calibration, model uncertainties, and the need for robust reconstruction algorithms. Related topics include time-of-flight, range verification, track reconstruction, and Monte Carlo transport.