title: Optically timed submillimeter time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
abstract: We demonstrate that using intense femtosecond laser pulses to optically time ion flight can lead to a miniature time-of-flight mass spectrometer. After laser ionization, the molecular ion is accelerated by a static electric field and detected using a second, delayed laser pulse. The relative positions of the two laser foci determine the ion flight distance while the time separation of the laser pulses fixes the ion flight time. We mass-resolve CS(2) or C(6)H(6) isotopes after a flight distance of 360 microm using either double ionization or Coulomb explosion detection.
authors.affiliation: Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R6, Canada.
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.forename: V Ravi
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Bhardwaj
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rayner
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Corkum