1. Plural of multipole; systems or configurations with multiple poles, especially in physics and electromagnetism.
Usage: technical; physics
2. In electromagnetism, arrangements of electric charges or magnetic moments that produce multipole moments (dipole, quadrupole, etc.).
Usage: technical; physics

Examples

• The physicist studied multipoles to understand the radiation patterns of oscillating charges.
• Multipoles are essential in modeling the electromagnetic fields of complex charge distributions.
• The expansion in multipoles allows physicists to approximate distant fields from localized sources.
• Higher-order multipoles become significant when the system size is comparable to the wavelength.
• Magnetic multipoles play a crucial role in the design of advanced particle accelerators.