  The Geant4 toolkit offers a rich variety of electromagnetic physics models;
so far the evaluation of this Geant4 domain has been mostly focused on its
physics functionality, while the features of its design and their impact on
simulation accuracy, computational performance and facilities for verification
and validation have not been the object of comparable attention yet, despite
the critical role they play in many experimental applications. A new project is
in progress to study the application of new design concepts and software
techniques in Geant4 electromagnetic physics, and to evaluate how they can
improve on the current simulation capabilities. The application of a
policy-based class design is investigated as a means to achieve the objective
of granular decomposition of processes; this design technique offers various
advantages in terms of flexibility of configuration and computational
performance. The current Geant4 physics models have been re-implemented
according to the new design as a pilot project. The main features of the new
design and first results of performance improvement and testing simplification
are presented; they are relevant to many Geant4 applications, where
computational speed and the containment of resources invested in simulation
production and quality assurance play a critical role.
