Ion optics system incorporating radio frequency mass separationResults of an experimental study are presented. They show that an RF mass discriminator, based on a Bennett mass spectrometer concept, can be used to discriminate between two species of ions with about a 2-to-1 charge-to-mass ratio. Such a device would be useful for separating monatomic and diatomic oxygen ions in a system designed to simulate the environment that spacecraft encounter in low earth orbit. The influence of changing mass discriminator parameters - such as the spacing of its grids, the amplitude and frequency of RF voltage signals applied to it and the current density of ions incident upon it - on its species discrimination capabilities is discussed. Experimental results are also compared to the results of a simple theoretical model to gain insight into the processes occurring in the discriminator. These results are shown to be in good agreement.
Document ID
19900065512
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Anderson, John R. (Colorado State University Fort Collins, United States)
Carruth, M. R., Jr. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)