The effect of magnetic field on the performance of Bayard–Alpert gauges

Abstract

The performance of a Bayard–Alpert type ionization gauge under the influence of weak magnetic fields (<60 G) has been studied in detail. The sensitivity of this BA gauge varied with (1) the magnitude of the magnetic field, and (2) the direction of the magnetic field, especially the angle between the direction of the emitting electrons and the direction of the magnetic field. If a BA gauge is required to operate in a magnetic field, the optimum condition could be obtained by carefully choosing the mounting orientation relative to the direction of the magnetic field.