Magnetization and magnetoresistance of common alloy wires used in cryogenic instrumentation.

We present magnetization and magnetoresistance data at liquid-helium and liquid-nitrogen temperatures for wire materials commonly used for instrumentation wiring of specimens, sensors, and heaters in cryogenic probes. The magnetic susceptibilities in Systeme International units at 4.2 K were found to be: Manganin 1.25x10(-2), Nichrome 5.6x10(-3), and phosphor bronze -3.3x10(-5), indicating that phosphor bronze is the most suitable for high-field applications. We also show the ferromagnetic hysteresis loop of Constantan wire at liquid-helium temperature. The magnetoresistance of these four wires was relatively small: the changes in resistance at 4 K due to a 10 T transverse magnetic field are -2.56% for Constantan, -2.83% for Manganin, +0.69% for Nichrome, and +4.5% for phosphor bronze, compared to about +188% for a typical copper wire under the same conditions.