A quadrupole mass filter includes: four electrodes arranged to surround a central axis and constituting a quadrupole; attachment portions to which a plurality of electrical conductors are attached, at least one of the electrical conductors being arranged at a position that lies in a direction toward an area between each of the adjacent electrodes among the four electrodes, as viewed from the central axis; and a holder having a hollow portion and holding the four electrodes and the plurality of electrical conductors, wherein the electrical conductors are attached to the respective attachment portions and held by the holder with elasticity of a material constituting the electrical conductors.

An ion optical arrangement (1) for use in a mass spectrometer comprises electrodes (11, 12, 14) comprising a multipole arrangement defining an ion optical axis, and a voltage source for providing voltages to the electrodes to produce electric fields. The ion optical arrangement is configured for producing a radio frequency electric focusing field for focusing ions on the ion optical axis. The radio frequency electric focusing field has a varying frequency so as to reduce any mass dependence of ion trajectories through the ion optical arrangement. The ion optical arrangement may further be configured for producing a static electric field in response to a DC bias voltage applied to the multipole arrangement. A superimposed varying electric field may be produced by superimposing an AC voltage upon the DC bias voltage.

A multipole with mounting rings arranged on its end faces for mounting the multipole in a mass spectrometer includes two electrode half-shells each having at least two electrodes joinable together by positive-fitting connections on the electrode half-shell longitudinal edges. Each positive-fitting connection includes a fitting and a matching mating fitting, the fitting integrally formed on one electrode half-shell and the mating fitting integrally formed on the other electrode half-shell. Each mounting ring has two mounting ring fittings. One mounting ring fitting can be joined to a mating fitting integrally formed on one of the two electrode half-shells and the other of the two mounting ring fittings can be joined to a mating fitting integrally formed on the other of the two electrode half-shells. Furthermore, a mounting ring for such a multipole has two mounting ring fittings joinable to corresponding mating fittings integrally formed on the electrode half-shells.

A method of analysis using mass spectrometry and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed. The method comprises: using a first device to generate smoke, aerosol or vapour from a target comprising or consisting of a microbial population; mass analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said smoke, aerosol or vapour, or ions derived therefrom, in order to obtain spectrometric data; and analysing said spectrometric data in order to analyse said microbial population.

Disclosed herein is an ion guide for guiding an ion beam along an ion path, said ion guide having a longitudinal axis corresponding to said ion path, said ion guide-comprising a plurality of elongate electrodes arranged around and extending along said longitudinal axis wherein an inner envelope of the plurality of electrodes defines an ion guide volume. Said elongate electrodes are formed by electrode wires, wherein adjacent electrode wires are arranged at an inter-wire distance. The ion guide comprises holding structures for supporting and for straightening the electrode wires by applying a tension or maintaining a tension applied to them. Any portion of said holding structures which is separated from said ion guide volume by less than the local inter-wire distance is made from a material having a resistivity of less than 10.sup.12 Ohm.Math.cm, preferably of less than 10.sup.9 Ohm.Math.cm, or has a sheet resistivity of less than 10.sup.14 Ohm, preferably of less than 10.sup.10 Ohm on a surface facing said ion guide volume.

An ion analysis system includes one or more ionization sources that produce ions, one or more analyzers that analyze the ions based on ion mobility or mass to charge ratio of the ions, and one or more ion transfer devices connected between the one or more ionization sources and the one or more analyzers, the one or more ion transfer devices include a plurality of electrodes that are configured to be flexible or flexibly connected to each other, and the one or more ion transfer devices are configured to be flexible or re-configurable while transferring the ions.

A vacuum chamber 11 for forming a vacuum space has two side walls opposite to each other across an ion beam axis extending within the vacuum space. One of those side walls is openable and closeable. An ion optical element 21 is placed on a base 33, which is located on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber. A fixation band 213 fixes the ion optical element on the base by holding the element between the base and the fixation band so as to press the element onto the base. A band-catching portion 10d, located on an inside face of a side wall of the vacuum chamber on the opposite side from the openable-and-closeable side wall, catches one end of the fixation band. A band-fixing portion 214, located on the base on the side where the openable-and-closeable side wall is present, fixes the other end of the fixation band to the base.

An ion guide may comprise a set of plate electrodes, each plate electrode having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough. The set of plate electrodes are spatially arranged such that a relative positioning of each plurality of apertures of a respective plate electrode of the set of plate electrodes and respective adjacent plate electrodes of the set of plate electrodes defines a continuous ion flight path through the respective plurality of apertures of each plate electrode of the set of plate electrodes. The continuous ion flight path has a helical-based and/or spiral-based shape.

An apparatus includes a tubular connector having a longitudinal axis. The connector includes a first end that connects to a first analytical system, a second end that connects to a second analytical system, and a flexible portion between the first end and the second end that curves in a direction transverse to the axis of the connector such that the connector contains ion guides to transfer ions between the first analytical system and the second analytical system.

An ion optical arrangement (1) for use in a mass spectrometer comprises electrodes (11, 12, 14) comprising a multipole arrangement defining an ion optical axis, and a voltage source for providing voltages to the electrodes to produce electric fields. The ion optical arrangement is configured for producing a radio frequency electric focusing field for focusing ions on the ion optical axis. The radio frequency electric focusing field has a varying frequency so as to reduce any mass dependence of ion trajectories through the ion optical arrangement. The ion optical arrangement may further he configured for producing a static electric field in response to a DC bias voltage applied to the multipole arrangement. A superimposed varying electric field may be produced by superimposing an AC voltage upon the DC bias voltage.