Observation of mass analyzed threshold ionization using synchrotron radiation on a new-style time of flight mass spectrometer

We have developed an efficient and applicable apparatus that combines mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) with continuous molecular-beam mass spectrometry using tunable vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation at National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory. The new design, in which the spoiling field and the pulsed ionization field are perpendicular to each other, can obtain efficiently the ionic spectra of molecule. The MATI spectra of Ar and N(2) have been recorded in the energy region between 15.5 and 17.5 eV to illustrate the feasibility of this scheme. With its unique features, the important experiment considerations are potentially a powerful tool for study of information of ionization energies and ionic states of complex organic compounds.