ABSTRACT

Monte Carlo (MC) calculations can be time consuming, especially for applications in radio therapy (RT). Therefore, algorithmic techniques to speed up the simulations are essential. These techniques are called variance reduction techniques (VRT). In this chapter, VRTs with a special focus on RT are introduced and explained. For clarity, it is written from the point of view of photon-electron interactions. However, the same concepts can be applied for heavy charged and neutral particles (protons, neutrons, etc.).