Magnetic sector mass spectrometer

Abstract

The invention relates to a mass spectrometer having a magnetic sector analyzer in which the magnetic field is developed neither by a permanent magnet nor by an electromagnet having the conventional ferromagnetic core. In particular, the spectrometer has a magnetic sector analyzer through which ions of a mass-to-charge ratio selected by said analyzer may travel along a substantially circular trajectory disposed in a first plane, said analyzer comprising at least two electrical conductor portions of substantially circular arcuate form, respectively of greater and smaller radius than said circular trajectory and disposed on radially opposite sides of a curved plane which is aligned with said circular trajectory and perpendicular to said first plane, and wherein substantially all of the magnetic flux generated by the passage of electrical current through said conductor portions passes only through non-ferromagnetic materials.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.