The MRTOF mass spectrograph comprises a suite of radio-frequency ion traps, two electrostatic mirrors, a cylindrical ion lens, a field-free drift region, and an ion detector. Reference ions can be provided from a thermal ion source or an electrospray ion source. A special single reference method has been developed for analyzing the mass data.
Reference ions accumulate in a linear Paul trap on one side of the flat trap, while unknown ions to be analyzed accumulate in a linear Paul trap on the other side. One-by-one they are transfered to the flat trap before being injected into the MRTOF.
