Towards ultrahigh-resolution multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometry at ISOLTRAP

Reports work toward ultrahigh-resolution multi-reflection time-of-flight (MR-ToF) mass spectrometry at ISOLTRAP, so close-lying isobars and isomers can be separated before a Penning-trap measurement.

Ions bounce between electrostatic mirrors to stretch the flight path to about a kilometre in tens of milliseconds. The paper discusses how to push that resolving power further on the ISOLTRAP MR-ToF device at ISOLDE.

Without that filter, many of the later copper, cadmium, and in-trap-decay measurements would have been swamped by contamination. Higher MR-ToF resolution is what makes online mass spectrometry of the rarest ISOLDE beams practical.