High resolution ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer for cold trapped ion experiments

TL;DR

This paper presents a new high-resolution ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer designed for cold ion experiments, enabling detailed studies of reaction dynamics at sub-Kelvin temperatures.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel experimental setup combining ion trapping, sympathetic cooling, and high-resolution mass spectrometry for cold ion chemistry research.

Findings

Mass resolution of $m/\Delta m \geq 1100$ achieved

System effectively identifies product ions and measures ion numbers

Design facilitates future studies of chemical reaction kinetics

Abstract

Trapping molecular ions that have been sympathetically cooled with laser-cooled atomic ions is a useful platform for exploring cold ion chemistry. We designed and characterized a new experimental apparatus for probing chemical reaction dynamics between molecular cations and neutral radicals at temperatures below 1 K. The ions are trapped in a linear quadrupole radio-frequency trap and sympathetically cooled by co-trapped, laser-cooled, atomic ions. The ion trap is coupled to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to readily identify product ion species, as well as to accurately determine trapped ion numbers. We discuss, and present in detail, the design of this ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer, as well as the electronics required for driving the trap and mass spectrometer. Furthermore, we measure the performance of this system, which yields mass resolutions of $m/\Delta{}m \geq 1100$ over a wide mass range, and discuss its relevance for future measurements in chemical reaction kinetics and dynamics.