Helmholtz Coil
A Helmholtz coil is a parallel pair of identical circular coils spaced one radius apart and wound so that the current flows through both coils in the same direction. This winding results in a uniform magnetic field between the coils with the primary component parallel to the axes of the two coils. The uniform field is the result of the sum of the two field components parallel and the difference between the components perpendicular to the axes of the coils.The purpose of the device is to allow scientists and engineers to perform experiments and tests that require a known ambient magnetic field. Helmholtz field generation can be static, time-varying DC or AC, depending on applications.
Applications range from cancelling the earth’s magnetic field for certain experiments as well as generating magnetic fields for applications such as determining magnetic shielding effectiveness, determining the susceptibility of electronic equipment to magnetic fields, calibration of magnetometers and navigational equipment and for bio-magnetic studies, etc.
 |
The Helmholtz coil was modeled in COMSOL Multiphysics using the 3D Quasi-statics application mode. The color plot shows the magnetic flux density. The streamlines indicate the magnetic field (H) strength and direction. |
Engineering Fields
- AC & Quasi-Static Applications
Application Areas
- Electro- & Magnetostatics