Calibration of marginal oscillator sensitivity for use in ICR spectrometry

A constant-reference load is utilized as Q-spoiler in calibrations of relative sensitivity variations of a marginal oscillator with frequency. Frequency-dependent effects troublesome in earlier Q-spoilers are compensated by employing a pure resistive calibration load with compensation for the small distributed capacitance of large resistors. The validity of the approach is demonstrated for a 2:1 mass ratio range, and validity for a mass ratio range greater than 10:1 is claimed. The circuit and technique were developed for use in ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) spectrometric practice.