Abstract: A charge detection mass spectrometer may include an ion source to generate ions, a mass spectrometer to separate the generated ions as a function of ion mass-to-charge ratio to produce beam of separated ions, an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) including a charge detection cylinder disposed between a pair of coaxially aligned ion mirrors, and means for controlling a trajectory of the beam of separated ions entering the ELIT to cause the ions subsequently trapped in the ELIT to oscillate therein with different planar ion oscillation trajectories angularly offset from one another about the longitudinal axis with each extending along and crossing the longitudinal axis in each of the ion mirrors or with different cylindrical ion oscillation trajectories radially offset from one another about the longitudinal axis to form nested cylindrical trajectories each extending along the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A method for optimizing an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) for mass-to-charge (m/z) measurement resolution may include determining initial electrostatic and geometric parameters of the ELIT, modifying at least one of the initial electrostatic parameters to produce a resulting set of modified electrostatic parameters with which m/z measurements made by the ELIT are independent of a trajectory of ions moving within the ELIT relative to a longitudinal axis of the ELIT, modifying at least one of the initial geometric parameters to produce a resulting set of modified geometric parameters with which m/z measurements made by the ELIT are independent of energy of ions moving within the ELIT, and constructing the ELIT using the modified sets of electrostatic and geometric parameters.

Abstract: A charge detection mass spectrometer (CDMS) includes an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT), a processor, and a memory having instructions stored therein executable by the processor to (a) control the ELIT to trap an ion, (b) collect ion measurement information as the trapped ion oscillates back and forth through the ELIT, the ion measurement information including charge induced by the ion on a charge detector of the ELIT during each pass of the ion through the ELIT and timing of the induced charges relative to one another, (c) process the ion measurement information in the time-domain for each of a plurality of sequential time windows of the ion measurement information to determine a charge magnitude of the ion during each time window, and (d) determine the magnitude of charge of the trapped ion based on the charge magnitudes of each of the time windows.

Abstract: An electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) array includes a plurality of ion mirrors and a plurality of elongated charge detection cylinders each defining an axial passageway centrally therethrough, the ion mirrors and the charge detection cylinders arranged relative to one another such that each charge detection cylinder is positioned between a different respective pair of the ion mirrors with the respective axial passageways of each coaxial with one another, wherein the axial passageways of the ELITs are not coaxial with one another, means for selectively directing at least one ion into each of the plurality of ELITs, and means for controlling each of the ion mirrors in a manner which causes the at least one ion in at least two of the ELITs to become trapped therein and to simultaneously oscillate back and forth between the respective ion mirrors each time passing through the respective charge detection cylinder.

Abstract: A charge detection mass spectrometer may include an ion source to generate ions, a mass spectrometer to separate the generated ions as a function of ion mass-to-charge ratio to produce beam of separated ions, an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) including a charge detection cylinder disposed between a pair of coaxially aligned ion mirrors, and means for controlling a trajectory of the beam of separated ions entering the ELIT to cause the ions subsequently trapped in the ELIT to oscillate therein with different planar ion oscillation trajectories angularly offset from one another about the longitudinal axis with each extending along and crossing the longitudinal axis in each of the ion mirrors or with different cylindrical ion oscillation trajectories radially offset from one another about the longitudinal axis to form nested cylindrical trajectories each extending along the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A charge detection mass spectrometer (CDMS) includes an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT), a processor, and a memory having instructions stored therein executable by the processor to (a) control the ELIT to trap an ion, (b) collect ion measurement information as the trapped ion oscillates back and forth through the ELIT, the ion measurement information including charge induced by the ion on a charge detector of the ELIT during each pass of the ion through the ELIT and timing of the induced charges relative to one another, (c) process the ion measurement information in the time-domain for each of a plurality of sequential time windows of the ion measurement information to determine a charge magnitude of the ion during each time window, and (d) determine the magnitude of charge of the trapped ion based on the charge magnitudes of each of the time windows.

Abstract: A charge detection mass spectrometer may include an ion source, an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) including a charge detection cylinder disposed between a pair of coaxially aligned ion mirrors, means for selectively establishing electric fields within the ion mirrors configured to cause the trapped ions in the ELIT to oscillate back and forth between the ion mirrors each time passing through the charge detection cylinder, and means for controlling a trajectory of the beam of ions entering the ELIT to cause the subsequently trapped ions to oscillate with different planar ion oscillation trajectories angularly offset from one another about the longitudinal axis with each extending along and crossing the longitudinal axis in each of the ion mirrors or with different cylindrical ion oscillation trajectories radially offset from one another about the longitudinal axis to form nested cylindrical trajectories each extending along the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: An electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) array includes a plurality of ion mirrors and a plurality of elongated charge detection cylinders each defining an axial passageway centrally therethrough, the ion mirrors and the charge detection cylinders arranged relative to one another such that each charge detection cylinder is positioned between a different respective pair of the ion mirrors with the respective axial passageways of each coaxial with one another, wherein the axial passageways of the ELITs are not coaxial with one another, means for selectively directing at least one ion into each of the plurality of ELITs, and means for controlling each of the ion mirrors in a manner which causes the at least one ion in at least two of the ELITs to become trapped therein and to simultaneously oscillate back and forth between the respective ion mirrors each time passing through the respective charge detection cylinder.

Abstract: An electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) array includes multiple elongated charge detection cylinders arranged end-to-end and each defining an axial passageway extending centrally therethrough, a plurality of ion mirror structures each defining a pair of axially aligned cavities and an axial passageway extending centrally therethrough, wherein a different ion mirror structure is disposed between opposing ends of each cylinder, and front and rear ion mirrors each defining at least one cavity and an axial passageway extending centrally therethrough, the front ion mirror positioned at one end of the arrangement of charge detection cylinders and the rear ion mirror positioned at an opposite end of the arrangement of charge detection cylinders, wherein the axial passageways of the charge detection cylinders, the ion mirror structures, the front ion mirror and the rear ion mirror are coaxial to define a longitudinal axis passing centrally through the ELIT array.

Abstract: A charge detection mass spectrometer may include an ion source, an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) including a charge detection cylinder disposed between a pair of coaxially aligned ion mirrors, means for selectively establishing electric fields within the ion mirrors configured to cause the trapped ions in the ELIT to oscillate back and forth between the ion mirrors each time passing through the charge detection cylinder, and means for controlling a trajectory of the beam of ions entering the ELIT to cause the subsequently trapped ions to oscillate with different planar ion oscillation trajectories angularly offset from one another about the longitudinal axis with each extending along and crossing the longitudinal axis in each of the ion mirrors or with different cylindrical ion oscillation trajectories radially offset from one another about the longitudinal axis to form nested cylindrical trajectories each extending along the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: An electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) array includes multiple elongated charge detection cylinders arranged end-to-end and each defining an axial passageway extending centrally therethrough, a plurality of ion mirror structures each defining a pair of axially aligned cavities and an axial passageway extending centrally therethrough, wherein a different ion mirror structure is disposed between opposing ends of each cylinder, and front and rear ion mirrors each defining at least one cavity and an axial passageway extending centrally therethrough, the front ion mirror positioned at one end of the arrangement of charge detection cylinders and the rear ion mirror positioned at an opposite end of the arrangement of charge detection cylinders, wherein the axial passageways of the charge detection cylinders, the ion mirror structures, the front ion mirror and the rear ion mirror are coaxial to define a longitudinal axis passing centrally through the ELIT array.