Resonance ionization filter for secondary ion and accelerator mass spectrometry
AssigneeThe Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsEvan E. Groopman, David G. Willingham
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Abstract
A method of removing nuclear isobars from a mass spectrometric technique comprising directing ions, decelerating the ions, neutralizing a first portion of the ions, creating residual ions and a second portion of the ions, reionizing a selective portion of the ions, re-accelerating the selective reionized portion of ions, and directing the reionized portion of ions to a detector. An apparatus to remove nuclear isobars comprising a deceleration lens, an equipotential surface, an electron source to neutralize a portion of the ion beam, a deflector pair, a tunable resonance ionization laser for selective resonant reionization, and an acceleration lens.
Claims16
A method of removing nuclear isobars from a mass spectrometric technique, comprising the steps of:
- utilizing a mass spectrometer and ion beam to analyze a sample;
- directing ions from the ion beam from the mass spectrometer through an electrostatic analyzer inside a vacuum chamber;
- utilizing a deceleration lens;
- decelerating the ions;
- neutralizing a first portion of the ions;
- creating residual ions and a second portion of the ions;
- directing the residual ions and the second portion of the ions through a deflector pair;
- discarding the residual ions;
- utilizing selective resonant reionization to reionize a selective portion of the ions within the second portion of the ions and creating a reionized portion of ions and a second portion of residual ions;
- utilizing an acceleration lens;
- re-accelerating the reionized portion of ions;
- allowing the second portion of residual ions to escape;
- and
- directing the selective portion of the ions to a detector.
An apparatus to remove nuclear isobars from mass spectrometry, comprising:
- a vacuum chamber;
- an electrostatic analyzer inside the vacuum chamber;
- an ion beam through the electrostatic analyzer inside the vacuum chamber;
- a deceleration lens;
- an equipotential surface;
- a filament or electron source to neutralize a portion of the ion beam;
- a deflector pair;
- a tunable resonance ionization laser for selective resonant reionization;
- and
- an acceleration lens;
- wherein the equipotential surface is between the deceleration lens and the acceleration lens;
- and
- wherein the acceleration lens accelerates a portion of the ion beam to a detector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.