This looks like a low-pole-count stepper motor to me. Is it the same thing or what?
The stepper has a magnetic rotor that is pushed/pulled by the switched field coils. The reluctance motor has no magnets in the rotor. The a pair of opposite field coils is activated and the magnetic flux flowing through the rotor causes two arms of the rotor to align with the poles of the field coils. I expect the effect is much weaker.
I didn't realize the rotor on stepper motors was magnetized. That seems strange, because there are like 200 poles on it. Are the little teeth or stepper motor rotors individually magnetized (somehow) in alternating directions? Because they are the same piece of metal.
The electro magnetic teeth are on the stator (stuff not rotating) and the magnets are on the rotor (stuff rotating)
The teeth are therefore all the same material. Just a wire is wound over the teeth. This makes the teeth electro magnets.
In steppers quite often; the rotor goes over the stator. This way it is easier to place magnets on the rotor.
One usage difference between the switched reluctance motor and the stepper is that when no power is on the stepper the stepper is "hard" to move.
Best regards
Jantje
Stepper motor designers are clever, they have many more effective poles than actual poles... Its all in the placement of the teeth.