Published May 12, 2025 | Version 2.1.0
Software Open

Dipole Cluster Inspector - A Duty-Free Python GUI for Exploring 569 Magnetic Configurations

  • 1. ROR icon University of Bayreuth

Description

Dipole Cluster Inspector – Version 2.1.0
Numerical Exploration of Dipole-Dipole Interactions

The dipole-dipole interaction plays a crucial role in the cohesion of matter. Due to the mathematical equivalence between electric and magnetic dipole interactions, this fundamental physical phenomenon can be explored experimentally using magnetic spheres.

The Dipole Cluster Inspector (dipole_cluster_inspector.py) provides an interactive environment for the numerical investigation of magnetic dipole systems. It enables the detailed analysis of:

  • Dipole arrangements

  • Magnetic field distributions

  • Binding energies

  • Mutual interactions

for clusters comprising more than 500 magnetic dipoles.

What's new in Version 2.1.0:

  • Spherical harmonic analysis of the scalar magnetic potential

  • ✦ Two new interactive 3D visualization windows for enhanced spatial insight

  • Improved handling of line dipoles and correction of previous issues

This tool is designed for scientific and educational purposes, enabling the study of dipole interactions in fundamental cluster geometries, with particular emphasis on regular polyhedra.

Notes

If you are particularly interested in the design of modified Halbach rings for generating homogeneous magnetic fields, you may also consider using the software
“Halbach_two_point_oh: Optimize Uniform Fields with Permanent Magnet Arrays”
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15006677

Technical info

To begin, unzip the archive dipole_cluster_inspector_2_1_0.zip.
The package contains 9 files in total.

To launch the application, run the main program: dipole_cluster_inspector.py. Make sure that this file remains in the same directory as the other 8 source files, as they are required for the program to function properly. See “readme.pdf” for explanations of the widget functions (a version with links is here).

Files

readme.pdf

Files (4.1 MB)

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Additional details

Dates

Updated
2025-05-12

Software

Programming language
Python

References

  • J. Schönke, T. M. Schneider, I. Rehberg, Infinite geometric frustration in a cubic dipole cluster, Physical Review B 91 (2015) 020410
  • S. Hartung, F. Sommer, S. Völkel, J. Schönke, I. Rehberg, Assembly of eight spherical magnets into a dotriacontapole configuration, Physical Review B 98 (2018) 214424
  • T. Friedrich, I. Rehberg, R. Richter, Comment on "self-assembly of magnetic balls: From chains to tubes", Phys. Rev. E 91 (2015) 057201
  • Simeon Völkel, Stefan Hartung, Ingo Rehberg, Comment on "Hysteretic transition between states of a filled hexagonal magnetic dipole cluster", Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Volume 559, 2022, 169520, ISSN 0304-8853, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2022.169520. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304885322004437)
  • Simeon Völkel, Stefan Hartung, Ingo Rehberg, Comment on "Hysteretic transition between states of a filled hexagonal magnetic dipole cluster", arXiv:2203.13670
  • Ingo Rehberg, Magnetic Tubes - Instability of a Drug Deliverer, DPG Frühjahrestagung, Berlin (2024)
  • Magnetic Tubes - Instability of a Drug Deliverer, (Slides with explanations). https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10792304