Computer design and optimization of iron cored particle focusing devices

Abstract A method for the design and optimization of particle focusing devices is described. A computer program allowing an interactive design using a light pen technique for instruments with or without iron has been developed and tested on a lens spectrometer with iron. The computed fields and the focusing properties of that spectrometer compare favorably with those measured. Certain optical properties of the instrument have easily been improved by a factor of ten by using the described program.