Influence of the Earth's magnetic field on large area photomultipliers

The influence of the Earth's magnetic field on large area photomultipliers proposed for a future deep sea neutrino telescope was studied under the EU-funded KM3NeT design study. The aims were to evaluate variations in PMT performance in the Earth's magnetic field and to decide whether the use of magnetic shielding is necessary. Measurements were performed on three Hamamatsu PMTs: two 8-inch R5912 types, one of these with super-bialkali photocathode, and a 10-inch R7081 type with a standard bialkali photocathode. The various characteristics of the PMTs were measured while varying the PMT orientations with respect to the Earth's magnetic field, both with and without a mu-metal cage as magnetic shield. In the 8-inch PMTs the impact of the magnetic field was found to be smaller than that on the 10-inch PMT. The increased quantum efficiency in the 8 super-bialkali PMT almost compensated its smaller detection surface compared to the 10” PMT. No significant effects were measured upon transit time and the fraction of spurious pulses.