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Application of Tunable, Ultrafast Lasers to Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometry


EMSL Project ID
1634

Abstract

We propose to use ion-trap mass spectrometry, capitalizing on the asymmetric trap design developed by Dr. Alexander, to study ion and neutral atom and molecule emission under laser irradiation in the near-infrared (out to roughly 3,000 nm). The major application lies in understanding the branching ratio between ion and neutral species desorbed by laser irradiation of matrix materials commonly used in matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. Understanding the dynamics of the process and the ion-neutral fraction will enable us to resolve one of the central outstanding problems of MALDI in the infrared, namely, the ionization mechanism.

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
1999-07-21
End Date
2002-09-09
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Richard Haglund
Institution
Vanderbilt University