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Optical tomography inside quadrupole ion traps

Conference ·
OSTI ID:210726
; ;  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); and others
Operation of a quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometer (ITMS) depends on details of ion motion in the trap such as spatial and velocity distribution, effects of gas pressure and ion density, the RF drive frequency, phase and amplitude, and additional (perturbing) fields. In spite of this, relatively few studies have experimentally addressed the motion of ions in ion traps. Trajectories can be calculated and plotted through computer simulations for idealized traps, but the accuracy of modeling real traps has yet to be established. The authors have developed a methodology, based on spatially-resolved photodissociation, for the direct measurement of ion densities in the ITMS. Both the ring electrode and/or the end caps can be slotted (>1 mm width) to allow optical access along the trap`s axial or radial axes. Measurement of photodissociation products as a function of position and trap operational parameters then allows spatially resolved determination of the number densities of the parent ions.
OSTI ID:
210726
Report Number(s):
CONF-9505261--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English