Abstract: The present invention provides an electrode arrangement 10, 10? for an ion trap, ion filter, an ion guide, a reaction cell or an ion analyser. The electrode arrangement 10, 10? comprises an RF electrode 12a, 12b, 12a?, 12b? mechanically coupled to a dielectric material 11. The RF electrode 12a, 12b, 12a?, 12b? is mechanically coupled to the dielectric material 11 by a plurality of separators 13 that are spaced apart and configured to define a gap between the RF electrode 12a, 12b, 12a?, 12b? and the dielectric material 11. Each of the plurality of separators 13 comprises a projecting portion 13b and the dielectric material 11 comprises corresponding receiving portions 11a such that on coupling of the RF electrode 12a, 12b, 12a?, 12b? to the dielectric material 11, the projecting portion 13b of each separator 13 is received within the corresponding receiving portion 11a of the dielectric material 11.

Abstract: A time-of-flight (ToF) mass spectrometer, comprising: a pulsed ion injector for forming an ion beam that travels along an ion path; a detector for detecting ions in the ion beam that arrive at the detector at times according to their m/z values; an ion focusing arrangement located between the ion injector and the detector for focusing the ion beam in at least one direction orthogonal to the ion path; and a variable voltage supply for supplying the ion focusing arrangement with at least one variable voltage that is dependent on a charge state and/or an amount of ions of at least one species of ions in the ion beam. A corresponding method of mass spectrometry is provided. The charge state and/or an amount of ions may be acquired from a pre-scan, or predicted. Tuning of the spectrometer based on a charge state and/or an amount of ions of at least one species of ions in the ion beam may be performed on the fly.

Abstract: An ion optical arrangement (1) for use in a mass spectrometer comprises electrodes (11, 12, 14) comprising a multipole arrangement defining an ion optical axis, and a voltage source for providing voltages to the electrodes to produce electric fields. The ion optical arrangement is configured for producing a radio frequency electric focusing field for focusing ions on the ion optical axis. The radio frequency electric focusing field has a varying frequency so as to reduce any mass dependence of ion trajectories through the ion optical arrangement. The ion optical arrangement may further be configured for producing a static electric field in response to a DC bias voltage applied to the multipole arrangement. A superimposed varying electric field may be produced by superimposing an AC voltage upon the DC bias voltage.

Abstract: An ion guide may comprise a set of plate electrodes, each plate electrode having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough. The set of plate electrodes are spatially arranged such that a relative positioning of each plurality of apertures of a respective plate electrode of the set of plate electrodes and respective adjacent plate electrodes of the set of plate electrodes defines a continuous ion flight path through the respective plurality of apertures of each plate electrode of the set of plate electrodes. The continuous ion flight path has a helical-based and/or spiral-based shape.

Abstract: A component of an ion optical device is manufactured. The component comprises aligned first and second electrode sets. A first material is machined to provide a part-machined first electrode set that comprises the first electrode set attached to a frame part of the first material. A second material is machined to provide a part-machined second electrode set that comprises the second electrode set attached to a frame part of the second material. The component of the ion optical device is assembled by aligning the part-machined first and second electrode sets. Subsequent to aligning the part-machined first and second electrode sets, the part-machined first electrode set is further machined to separate the first electrode set from the frame part of the first material and the part-machined second electrode set is further machined to separate the second electrode set from the frame part of the second material.

Abstract: A plasma source chamber (10) for use in a spectrometer comprises an inner housing (11) for accommodating a plasma source (31) and an outer housing (12) accommodating the inner housing. The outer housing (12) comprises at least one outer air inlet opening (21) in a first wall and at least one outer air outlet opening (22) in a second wall. Walls of the inner housing and walls of the outer housing define a spacing (25) so as to allow a first air flow (1) from the at least one outer air inlet opening (21) to the at least one outer air outlet opening (22) through the spacing (25) between the inner housing and the outer housing. The inner housing (11) comprises at least one inner air inlet opening (23) in a first wall and at least one inner air outlet opening (24) in a second wall to allow a second air flow (2) from the at least one inner air inlet opening to the at least one inner air outlet opening through the inner housing.

Abstract: There is provided a method of identifying spurious peaks in a mass spectrum produced from a time-varying transient signal detected in a mass spectrometer. The method comprises the steps of generating, using a regularized inversion algorithm having one or more adjustable parameters, a first mass spectrum from the time-varying transient signal, according to a first set of values of said one or more adjustable parameters. Generating, using the regularized inversion algorithm, one or more perturbed mass spectra from the transient signal, according to one or more respective perturbed versions of the first set of values. Identifying one or more spurious peaks in the first mass spectrum by comparing the first mass spectrum with at least one of the perturbed mass spectra. There are also provided corresponding systems and computer readable media.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for eliminating an added crosstalk signal from a measured data signal, which is generated by an image current. There is further disclosed a signal processing unit for carrying out the method. There is still further disclosed a mass spectrometer and a mass analyser comprising the signal processing unit for carrying out the method. There is yet still further disclosed a Fourier transform mass spectrometer configured to eliminate the added crosstalk signal from a measured data signal.

Abstract: A diagnostic testing method for a detector of a spectrometer. The spectrometer comprises a source of line spectra configured to emit at least one branched pair of spectral lines from an excited species. The method comprises performing a plurality of detector diagnostic measurements and diagnosing a detector operating condition. Each detector diagnostic measurement comprises measuring an intensity of a first spectral line emitted by an excited species of the source of line spectra using the detector, and measuring an intensity of a second spectral line emitted by the excited species of the source of line spectra using the detector. The first and second spectral lines emitted by the excited species of the source of line spectra form a branched pair of spectral lines, and the spectrometer is controlled to vary the intensity of the first and second spectral lines incident on the detector for the plurality of detector diagnostic measurements.

Abstract: A method of mass spectrometry for analyzing a sample within a mass range of interest includes the steps: ionizing the sample to produce a plurality of precursor ions; performing an MS1 scan of the precursor ions comprising mass analyzing the precursor ions across the mass range of interest, to obtain an MS1 mass spectrum of the precursor ions; determining ion intensity values within the MS1 mass spectrum; selecting precursor mass segments within the mass range of interest, and for each precursor mass segment: fragmenting the precursor ions within that precursor mass segment; and performing an MS2 scan of the fragmented ions by: controlling an amount of fragmented ions for that precursor mass segment, based on an intensity value for that precursor mass segment derived from the MS1 spectrum; and mass analyzing the amount of fragmented ions.

Abstract: A mass spectrometry method comprising steps of generating an ion beam from an ion source; directing the ion beam into a collision cell; introducing into the collision cell through a gas inlet on the collision cell a charge-neutral analyte gas or reaction gas; ionizing the analyte gas or reaction gas in the collision cell by means of collisions between the analyte gas or reaction gas and the ion beam; transmitting ions from the ionized analyte gas or reaction gas from the collision cell into a mass analyzer; and mass analyzing the transmitted ions of the ionized analyte or reaction gas. The methods can be applied in isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the isotope abundance or isotope ratio of a reaction gas used in mass shift reactions between the gas and sample ions, to determine a corrected isotope abundance or ratio of the sample ions.

Abstract: Ions are injected into an orbital electrostatic trap. An ejection potential is applied to an ion storage device, to cause ions stored in the ion storage device to be ejected towards the orbital electrostatic trap. Synchronous injection potentials are applied to a central electrode of the orbital electrostatic trap and a deflector electrode associated with the orbital electrostatic trap, to cause the ions ejected from the ion storage device to be captured by the electrostatic trap such that they orbit the central electrode. Application of the ejection potential and application of the synchronous injection potentials are each started at respective different times, the difference in times being selected based on desired values of mass-to-charge ratios of ions to be captured by the orbital electrostatic trap.

Abstract: A pulse shaping circuit for a spectrometer comprises a circuit input terminal for receiving detector pulses from an analog ion detector, a flip-flop for receiving detector pulses from the circuit input terminal, a delay unit for receiving output pulses from the flip-flop and feeding delayed output pulses to a reset input terminal of said flip-flop, and a circuit output terminal for supplying the output pulses or the delayed output pulses to a counter. The duration of the output pulses and the minimum duration of the interval between the output pulses is determined by the delay unit. The pulse shaping circuit may comprise at least one Schmitt trigger.

Abstract: A method for deconvoluting measured mass spectrometry data, the method comprising: receiving measured mass spectrometry data representing at least two molecular moieties each having a respective isotopic pattern, wherein at least two of said isotopic patterns overlap; iteratively filling a set of mass channels to produce an approximated version of the mass spectrometry data, said iterative filling comprising a number of iterations, each iteration comprising filling one or more of the mass channels with a chunk of intensity data according to the isotopic pattern of a respective one of the two or more molecular moieties selected for said iteration; terminating said iterative filling when a fitness criterion is met indicating a fit of the approximated version of the mass spectrometry data to the measured mass spectrometry data; and determining the amount of each molecular moiety that produced the measured mass spectrometry data based on the total amount of fills according to the respective isotopic pattern of sa

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for analyzing particles, the system comprising: a NEMS device comprising at least one NEMS sensor for detecting particles impacting the at least one NEMS sensor, each NEMS sensor comprising a NEMS sensor area, a particle lens assembly, the particle lens assembly comprising at least one particle lens for focusing particles onto a NEMS sensor of the at least one NEMS sensor, wherein the particle lens assembly is spaced from the at least one NEMS sensor area by a separation distance, wherein the system is configured to sustain a space defined between the particle lens assembly and the NEMS device at a pressure where a mean free path for a reference particle is greater than the separation distance. The present invention also relates to a corresponding method.

Abstract: There is provided a method of measuring a mass of an ion species in a mass stream. Where the mass stream is a mass stream emitted from a separation device as a function of a separation parameter, the method comprising: obtaining a mass trace for the ion species, wherein the mass trace comprises a set of intensity peaks, each intensity peak providing a respective measured mass and a respective signal measured by a mass spectrometer; and determining the mass of the ion species as an extrapolation of the measured masses of the set of intensity peaks of the mass trace towards a signal zero.

Abstract: A method of determining one or more interference parameters for a particular peak of an isotopic distribution corresponding to a precursor molecule in MS scan data is provided. The MS scan data comprises a plurality of peaks. Each peak has a mass-to-charge ratio and a relative abundance. The isotopic distribution comprises a subset of the plurality of peaks. The one or more interference parameters comprises a peak purity, pi, for the particular peak. The method comprises determining that there are no interfering peaks relevant to the isotopic distribution and determining that the peak purity, pi, for the particular peak should be a maximum purity value.

Abstract: An elemental mass spectrometer uses a mass filter to select ions from ions received from an ion source and transmit the selected ions. A reaction or collision cell receives the transmitted ions and reacts or collides these with a gas to provide product ions thereby. A mass analyzer receives the product ions, analyzes them and provides at least one output based on detection of the analyzed ions. The elemental mass spectrometer is operated to provide a first output from the mass analyzer measuring ions within a first analysis range of mass-to-charge to provide a second output from the mass analyzer measuring ions within a second analysis range of mass-to-charge ratios and to correct the first output for interference on the basis of the second output.

Abstract: A temperature-controlled electronic apparatus, comprises: a circuit board; a plurality of electronic components, mounted on the circuit board in an arrangement to form at least one electronic circuit; a temperature sensor, configured to measure a temperature of the at least one electronic circuit; and a heat-generating component, configured to be controlled by a temperature control circuit, the temperature control circuit being configured to control an amount of heat generated by the heat-generating component in response to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. The plurality of electronic components are arranged on the circuit board to lie on one of one or more paths, each path of the one or more paths being defined by a respective circle having a radius.

Abstract: A method for identification of the monoisotopic mass or a parameter correlated to the mass of the isotopes of the isotope distribution of at least one species of molecules contained in a sample and/or originated from a sample by at least an ionization process includes measuring a mass spectrum of the sample with a mass spectrometer, dividing at least one range of measured m/z values of the mass spectrum into fractions, assigning at least some of the fractions to one processor of several provided processors, deducing for each of the at least one species of molecules an isotope distribution of their ions having a specific charge z, deducing from at least one deduced isotope distribution the monoisotopic mass or a parameter correlated to the mass of the isotopes of the isotope distribution of the species of molecules.