The concept of this dual mass spectrometer and photoelectron spectrometer is to allow maximum flexibility in experimental design utilising either of these techniques. Bearing this in mind it is important that there is little down time in switching between these two modes of mass and photoelectron analysis.
Initially, laser ionisation will be carried out in both low and high pressure sources. Eventually, other source types that utilise high voltage pulsing, high pressure ionisation (eg., ESI , APCI or CI) and an electron beam will be incorporated.
The TOF mass spectrometry will allow: (i) simultaneous detection of positive and negative ions; (ii) the ability to study ion motion in a magnetic field using either linear or co-linear reflectron mass discrimination techniques and (iii) mass selection achieved by a post source quadrupole will allow studies of detached electron kinetic energies by magnetic bottle time-of-flight photoelectron spectroscopy.
The FT/ICR mass spectrometry will allow (i) high pressure gas phase ion molecule chemistry of laser ablated cluster ions; (ii) photo-dissociation and collision-induced-dissociation studies and ultra-high resolution mass analysis.
The magnetic bottle TOF photoelectron energy analysis will allow ionisation and electron affinity measurements of cluster species.
Ions of varying translational and internal energies formed in the external ion source of the FT-MS will be transported from a high pressure region to one of low pressure by an electrostatic lens focusing system. Collimation and deceleration of the incident ion beam will be used to overcome the magnetic mirror effect of the 7T superconducting magnet.
We have used the ion trajectory program Simion® 3D to manipulate the design of the ion focusing lens system so as to maximise ion beam detection.