Damping of convection is key in the precise measurement of a diffusion coefficient in melt, and applying a static magnetic field to the melt is a promising method of realizing damping in electrically conducting melt such as a semiconductor and metal. Convection behavior in a melt with a low Grashoff number under a uniform static magnetic field was calculated on the basis of the finite element method. Using the results, the specimen geometry and the direction of the applied magnetic field in diffusion experiments with a diffusion-couple method were evaluated by the numerical simulation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.