timeofFlightsäteen

TimeofFlightsäteen refers to a phenomenon observed in certain time-of-flight mass spectrometry experiments. Specifically, it arises when ions or molecules within a sample have a distribution of velocities that leads to a broadening of the signal peak in the mass spectrum. This broadening is not due to variations in mass-to-charge ratio, but rather to the differing transit times of particles with the same mass but different initial speeds through the flight tube of the spectrometer.

In a typical time-of-flight mass spectrometer, ions are accelerated by an electric field and then travel through a field-free drift region. Their arrival time at the detector is measured, which is inversely proportional to their velocity. If all ions of the same mass were accelerated to precisely the same kinetic energy, they would have the same velocity and arrive simultaneously. However, factors such as the initial energy spread of the ions or variations in the acceleration process can result in ions of the same mass possessing slightly different kinetic energies and thus different velocities.

This velocity spread causes ions with the same mass to spread out in their arrival times, leading to a "smear" or "tail" on the spectral peak. This timeofFlightsäteen can reduce the mass resolution of the instrument, making it more difficult to distinguish between ions with very similar mass-to-charge ratios. Various techniques, such as velocity focusing or advanced detection methods, are employed in time-of-flight mass spectrometry to mitigate the effects of timeofFlightsäteen and improve spectral resolution.