Rocket-borne time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Technical Report · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976

OSTI ID:7216457

Reiter, R F

Theoretical and numerical analyses are made of planar-, cylindrical- and spherical-electrode two-field time-of-flight mass spectrometers in order to optimize their operating conditions. A method is introduced which can improve the resolving power of these instruments by a factor of 7.5. Potential barrier gating in time-of-flight mass spectrometers is also analyzed. Experimental studies of a miniature cylindrical-electrode and a hemispherical-electrode time-of-flight mass spectrometer are presented. Their sensitivity and ability to operate at D-region pressures with an open source make them ideal instruments for D-region ion composition measurements. A sounding rocket experiment package carrying a cylindrical electrode time-of-flight mass spectrometer was launched. The data indicate that essentially 100% of the positive electric charge on positive ions is carried by ions with mass-to-charge ratios greater than 500 below an altitude of 92 km. These heavy charge carriers were present at altitudes up to about 100 km. (auth)

• Research Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA). Ionosphere Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 7216457
• Report Number(s): N-76-28723; NASA-CR-148504; PSU-IRL-SCI-444
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440300 -- Miscellaneous Instruments-- (-1989)
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
D REGION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
IONOSPHERE
MASS SPECTROMETERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
OPTIMIZATION
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
RESOLUTION
SENSITIVITY
SPECTROMETERS
TIME-OF-FLIGHT SPECTROMETERS