Session: Session 4

A non-destructive detector for low charged megadalton ions

A non-destructive detector for low charged megadalton ions is a scientific and technical challenge. High mass molecular ion detection is a limiting factor in mass spectrometry. Detection efficiency is highly dependent on the incident mass of the ion.

 

Our approach is based on the perturbation that a molecular ion projectile induces in crossing a cloud of trapped and laser-cooled ions, which are stored in a radio-frequency trap. The interaction between the charged molecular ion and the ensemble of laser-cooled ions induces a disturbance in the cloud's equilibrium, which is amplified by the trapping induced RF heating, resulting in a change in the laser induced fluorescence signal. This detector (trapped ion cloud fluorescence detector TICFD) can be utilized for mass spectrometry via the time-of-flight technique and/or can complement other methods due to its non-destructive characteristics.

 

Within our experimental setup, a radiofrequency ion trap is used to produce laser-cooled calcium ion clouds. This setup is complemented by an external ion source (Electrospray) capable of generating projectiles with varying mass and charge states. Additionally, specific ion optics are employed to ensure the precise separation and injection of ions into the radiofrequency trap. Through this configuration, our goal is to explore the feasibility of utilizing laser-cooled ion clouds as detectors.