Topology optimization of permanent magnets for stellarators

We introduce a topology optimization method to design permanent magnets for advanced stellarators. Recent research shows that permanent magnets have great potential to simplify stellarator coils. We adopt state-of-the-art numerical techniques to determine the presence of magnets in the entire design space. The FAMUS code is developed and it can design engineering-feasible permanent magnets for general stellarators satisfying the constraints of the maximum material magnetization and explicit forbidden regions. FAMUS has been successfully verified against the previously proposed linear method. Three different permanent magnet designs together with planar TF coils for a half-Tesla NCSX configuration have been obtained for demonstrations. The designs have good accuracy in generating the desired equilibrium and offer considerably large plasma access on the outboard side. The results show that FAMUS is a flexible, advanced numerical tool for future permanent magnet stellarator designs.