Evaluation of spectra in oscillation mass spectrometers
AssigneeBruker Daltonik GmbH
InventorsJochen Franzen, Karsten Michelmann
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Abstract
The invention relates to mass spectrometers in which ion clouds are stored in two spatial directions by radial forces while oscillating largely harmonically at a mass-specific frequency in a third spatial direction perpendicular to the other two, in a potential minimum, the shape of which is as close to a parabola as possible. Analysis of the oscillation frequencies of these ion clouds, preferably by a Fourier analysis, leads via a frequency spectrum to a mass spectrum. The frequency spectrum is analyzed to identify false signals in the frequency spectrum as harmonics and eliminating them where necessary.
Claims11
A method of evaluating a frequency spectrum of a plurality of analyte ions obtained in an oscillation mass spectrometer, comprising:
- investigating a plurality of frequency components within the frequency spectrum by identifying for each of the frequency components whether the frequency component is associated with a fundamental oscillation of the analyte ions or a harmonic of the fundamental oscillation;
- and
- attenuating the frequency components associated with the harmonics.
A system for evaluating a frequency spectrum of a plurality of analyte ions obtained in an oscillation mass spectrometer, comprising:
- means for investigating a plurality of frequency components within the frequency spectrum by identifying for each of the plurality of frequency components whether the frequency component is associated with a fundamental oscillation of the analyte ions or a harmonic of the fundamental oscillation;
- and
- means for attenuating the frequency components associated with the harmonics from the frequency spectrum.
A method of automatically evaluating a frequency spectrum obtained in an oscillation mass spectrometer, comprising:
- reading ion currents within the oscillation mass spectrometer and providing an ion current signal indicative thereof;
- transforming the ion current signal from the time domain to the frequency domain and providing frequency data indicative thereof;
- analyzing the frequency data to determine harmonic frequency components within the frequency data;
- processing the frequency data to attenuate the detected harmonic frequency components from the frequency data to provide corrected frequency data;
- and
- converting the corrected frequency data to a mass list.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.