KEIRA-CHIMERA: A new method in high resolution mass spectrometry

A new technique is presented for high resolution mass spectrometry, using a linear ion trap (KEIRA) in combination with a new frequency extraction algorithm (CHIMERA). In KEIRA, ions are created in-situ and subsequently undergo periodic oscillations within the trap. Ion motion is detected non-destructively and the resulting time spectrum consists of a series of impulses. The CHIMERA algorithm, which matches comb-functions to the experimental data, extracts ion oscillation frequencies with high precision. This technique also has the advantage of being able to extract frequencies without the harmonics which are present in a Fourier transform, enabling easy conversion to a mass spectrum.