An isotope mass spectrometer including: an electron cyclotron resonance ion source, a front-end analysis device, a back-end analysis device and an ion detector; where the electron cyclotron resonance ion source is connected with the front-end analysis device, and is used for generating ion beams of multivalent charge states; the front-end analysis device is connected with the back-end analysis device, selects and separates the ion beams, and receives ion beams of constant, microscale and trace levels; the back-end analysis device is connected with the ion detector, and is used for eliminating a background of an isotope to be measured at an ultratrace level; and the ion detector is used for receiving ion beams of the ultratrace level, and carrying out energy measurement and separation on the ion beams of the ultratrace level, so as to obtain the isotope to be measured at the ultratrace level.

An accelerator mass spectrometry system for measuring an isotopic ratio of a chemical element in a sample. The system includes an ion source generating a beam of negative ions of the chemical element containing ions of first and second isotopes of the chemical element, a first analyzer section, comprising a first mass analyzer; a tandem accelerator comprising a first accelerating section, a charge stripping section for converting the negative ions into positive ions, and a second accelerating section behind the charge stripping section. A second analyzer section includes a second mass analyzer and an electrostatic analyzer; a particle detector; and a controller system configured to control the first mass analyzer section and the second analyzer section such that the ions of the first and second isotopes traverse the tandem accelerator and ions of only one of the first and second isotopes enter the particle detector. An additional analyzer is located in between the charge stripping section and the second accelerating section and is configured to receive positive ions that have exited the charge stripping section and to separate positive ions having a charge state corresponding to a predetermined charge-state value from positive ions having a charge state not corresponding to the predetermined charge-state value, so as to transmit ions with different charge states in mutually different directions such that only ions having a charge state corresponding to the predetermined charge-state value are transmitted towards the particle detector.

The present invention provides an accelerator mass spectrometry device for simultaneously measuring isotopes. In one embodiment, the device comprises a sputtering negative ion source for generating negative ions; the sputtering negative ion source being connected to an accelerating tube for simultaneously accelerating a plurality of isotopic ions; an output end of the accelerating tube being connected to an isotope mass resolution system; the isotope mass resolution system being connected to a charge conversion analysis and multi-receiving measurement system; the charge conversion analysis and multi-receiving measurement system being connected to an ion detection system. The present invention is capable of accelerating a plurality of isotopic negative ions simultaneously. The accelerated isotopic negative ions are separated. Stable isotopic negative ions are measured by a stable isotope receiver. Unstable isotope negative ions are converted to positive ions and then measured by a detector.

A shielding plate 6 having a forward-side slit opening 61 and return-side slit opening 62 is placed in a free flight space 3 with no electric field. Ions which significantly deviate from a reference path are removed by the shielding plate 6 on both the forward-side and return-side paths. The opening width of the forward-side slit opening 61 is smaller than that of the return-side slit opening 62. Those opening widths and the placement position of the shielding plate 6 are determined based on the result of an ion trajectory calculation by accurate simulation. As compared to a conventional device with a shielding plate placed only on the return side, the present configuration allows for an increase in the opening width of the return-side slit opening while achieving the same level of resolving power. The ion transmission ratio is thereby improved, and the analytical sensitivity is enhanced.

A shielding plate 6 having a forward-side slit opening 61 and return-side slit opening 62 is placed in a free flight space 3 with no electric field. Ions which significantly deviate from a reference path are removed by the shielding plate 6 on both the forward-side and return-side paths. The opening width of the forward-side slit opening 61 is smaller than that of the return-side slit opening 62. Those opening widths and the placement position of the shielding plate 6 are determined based on the result of an ion trajectory calculation by accurate simulation. As compared to a conventional device with a shielding plate placed only on the return side, the present configuration allows for an increase in the opening width of the return-side slit opening while achieving the same level of resolving power. The ion transmission ratio is thereby improved, and the analytical sensitivity is enhanced.

A mass spectrometer comprises a first mass filter for receiving a plurality of ions and having a transmission bandwidth configured to allow transmission of ions having m/z ratios within a desired range, and a second mass filter that is disposed downstream of the first mass filter for selecting ions having a target m/z value within a transmission window thereof for mass analysis. The transmission bandwidth of the first mass filter encompasses at least two m/z ratios of interest such that one of said m/z ratios corresponds to said target m/z value within the transmission window of said second mass filter.

A method of treating a particle beam is disclosed, of interest in particular for mass spectrometry for .sup.14C. A particle beam including positive ions is passed through a charge exchange cell containing a target gas. The target gas is electrically insulating at room temperature and pressure. At least some of the positive ions of the particle beam are converted to negative ions by interaction with the target gas. The particle beam incident at the charge exchange cell includes molecules and/or molecular ions which interact with the target gas to reduce the concentration of molecules as a result of repeated collisions with particles of the target gas. A corresponding mass spectrometry system is also disclosed.

Accelerator mass spectrometry methods for analyzing a sample are provided. In an embodiment, the method includes measuring with an accelerator mass spectrometry system, an isotope of a first element and an isotope of a second element, wherein the measurement of the second element is used for normalizing the measurement of the first element.

Disclosed is a He-3 detector arrangement that generally comprises a mass spectrometer that has an intake funnel configured to receive (sniff out) He-3 through an intake port directly from an open environment. The intake funnel is configured to direct the He-3 into the mass spectrometer. The arrangement further comprises a heating element configured to liberate the He-3 from regolith via heat. A mobile carrier is configured to position the intake port the regolith to obtain samples of the He-3.

The invention comprises a method for separating ions, comprising the steps of: providing an ion cyclotron resonance separator with a longitudinal axis; applying a magnetic field gradient along a length of the longitudinal axis; passing a single fixed radio frequency radially across the longitudinal axis; and spatially separating the ions at mass-to-charge ratio resonance locations along a length of the longitudinal axis, where the magnetic field gradient is within a range of 0 to 0.65 Tesla, where the single fixed radio frequency is maintained in a range of 40 kHz to 20 MHZ, and where the step of spatially separating further comprises the step of spiraling radially outward at a first resonance location a first set of ions, of the ions, the first set of ions comprising a first range of mass-to-charge ratios, the first resonance location comprising a first mass-to-charge ratio resonant with the applied radio frequency.