Abstract:
A time-of-flight mass spectrometer which employs a dynamic electric field to accelerate charged particles. For a sample containing various charged particles and given field parameters, each mass-to-charge specie of the sample has associated with it a unique flight time in the dynamic field. This flight time is derived from the interaction of the charged particles with the dynamic field. Various particles are resolved according to their mass-to-charge ratios by recording differences in their flight times in the dynamic electric field.