A method of mass spectrometry is disclosed comprising directing first photons from a laser onto ions located within a 2D or linear ion guide or ion trap. The frequency of the first photons is scanned and first photons and/or second photons emitted by the ions are detected. The ions are then mass analysed using a Time of Flight mass analyser.

A dual-ionization mass spectrometer includes a first mass spectrometer module forming a hard ionization mass spectrometer, a second mass spectrometer forming a soft ionization mass spectrometer, a vacuum ultraviolet light source positioned between the first and second modules, a housing encompassing the first and second sets of plates and the light source, and an inlet positioned to receive a sample of an analyte and provide it to at least one of the sets of plates. A method of detecting a substance includes receiving a sample of an analyte into a housing through an inlet, performing soft ionization mass spectrometry on the sample with a soft ionization mass spectrometer in the housing, performing hard ionization spectrometry on the sample with a hard ionization spectrometer in the housing if needed, and generating a detection result from at least one of the soft ionization spectrometry and the hard ionization spectrometry.

A hybrid extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imaging spectrometer includes: a radiation source to: produce EUV radiation; subject a sample to the EUV radiation; photoionize a plurality of atoms of the sample; and form photoions from the atoms subject to photoionization by the EUV radiation, the photoions being desorbed from the sample in response to the sample being subjected to the EUV radiation; an ion detector to detect the photoions: as a function of a time-of-arrival of the photoions at the ion detector after the sample is subjected to the EUV radiation; or as a function of a position of the photoions at the ion detector; an electron source to: produce a plurality of primary electrons; subject the sample to the primary electrons; and form scattered electrons from the sample in response to the sample being subjected to the primary electrons; and an electron detector to detect the scattered electrons: as a function of a time-of-arrival of the scattered electrons at the electron detector after the sample is subjected to the EUV radiation or the primary electrons; or as a function of a position of the scattered electrons at the electron detector.

A method of mass spectrometry for analysing lipids and similar biological molecules is disclosed. The lipid molecules may be ionised to form a plurality of lipid parent ions and subjected to photon-induced fragmentation to form a plurality of fragment or product ions. The position of one or more unsaturated bonds in the lipid molecules may be determined by mass analysing the fragment and product ions and analysing their intensity profile.

In one aspect, a method for fragmenting ions in a mass spectrometer is disclosed, which includes introducing a plurality of precursor ions into a collision cell of a mass spectrometer, generating a potential barrier in the collision cell to cause at least a portion of ions in the collision cell to be trapped within a region in proximity of said potential barrier, and applying ultraviolet (UV) radiation to said trapped ions so as to cause fragmentation of at least a portion of any of said precursor ions and fragment ions thereof to generate a plurality of product ions such that a space charge generated in said region in proximity of said potential barrier due to accumulation of ions will impart sufficient kinetic energy to at least a portion of the product ions so as to overcome said potential barrier, thereby exiting said region.

Disclosed is an analytical platform for profiling and functional analysis of proteomes, which can unveil new biological insights potentially useful for instigating novel therapeutic interventions. The disclosed analytical platform for proteome profiling is constructed by integrating plasmonic biosensor microarrays with tandem-ion mobility spectrometry. The disclosed analytical platform can separate, identify, and characterize highly similar proteoforms as well as low abundance proteoforms from plasma or other samples.