Optimization of a Stern–Gerlach Magnet by Magnetic Field–Circuit Coupling and Isogeometric Analysis

Stern-Gerlach magnets are used to magnetically separate a beam of atoms or atom clusters. The design is difficult, since both the magnetic field gradient and its homogeneity should be maximized. This paper proposes the numerical optimization of the device´s pole-shoe shapes, starting from a reference geometry given in the literature. The main contributions of this paper are the generalization of a magnetic field-magnetic circuit coupling and the application of isogeometric analysis (IGA), which are shown to reduce the computational complexity and increase the accuracy. The field-circuit coupling significantly reduces the size of the field model part, in which the IGA´s spline-based framework enables a highly accurate evaluation of local field quantities, even across elements.