An optimized three-dimensional linear-electric-field time-of-flight analyzer.

In situ measurements of the dynamics and composition of space plasmas have greatly improved our understanding of the space environment. In particular, mass spectrometers that use a combination of electrostatic analyzers and time-of-flight systems can identify revealing dynamic and compositional characteristics of ions, and thus constrain their sources and the physical processes relevant for their transport. We demonstrate an optimized design of a linear-electric-field time-of-flight technology that can be used to obtain a high signal to noise: ions that follow an energy-isochronous oscillation within the instrument impact an emissive plate and cause secondary electrons to be sent toward the detector, triggering a high-resolution measurement. By focusing these secondary electrons to a central area on a position-sensitive anode, their signals are separated from ions and neutrals that do not experience energy-isochronous motion. Using their impact positions, the high mass resolution measurements are easily distinguished from other signals on the detector, leading to very favorable signal-to-noise ratios. This optimization provides an improvement to existing technologies without increasing the instrument size or complexity, and uses a novel time-of-flight circuit that combines timing and position information from many signals and ions.