Design, build, and test

To allow for M/Q measurements we would need a charging and injection system for the solid particles together with basic diagnostic. To start we will use a diaphragm oscillating catapult to launch the particles upwards into the trap similarly to Schlemmer et al. (2001).

The development of a proper system to create, charge, and inject the particle requires careful development and testing to have something that can be accurate and reproducible. Injection can be done through electrospray ionization sources (ESI) or nanoESI, by matrix assisted laser (MALDI), or APCI (Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization). To know a bit more about these techniques have a look here . Once generated, the particles can be driven by a hexapole ion guide (or multiple ion guides) at different pumping stages before reaching the main chamber. We are continously working on the development and design of a proper injection system, with the help of our main collaborators. This part certainly represents the most challenging of the entire project. We will start by using an ESI source produced by MolecularSpray Ltd in UK, check here below.