Disclosed herein are mass spectrometers having segmented electrodes and associated methods. According to an aspect, an apparatus or mass spectrometer includes an ion source configured to generate ions from a sample. The apparatus also includes a detector configured to detect a plurality of mass-to-charge ratios associated with the ions. Further, the apparatus includes segmented electrodes positioned between the ion source and the detector. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to selectively apply a voltage across the segmented electrodes for forming a predetermined electric field profile.

Disclosed herein are mass spectrometers having segmented electrodes and associated methods. According to an aspect, an apparatus or mass spectrometer includes an ion source configured to generate ions from a sample. The apparatus also includes a detector configured to detect a plurality of mass-to-charge ratios associated with the ions. Further, the apparatus includes segmented electrodes positioned between the ion source and the detector. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to selectively apply a voltage across the segmented electrodes for forming a predetermined electric field profile.

A determination device for hydrocarbon emissions of a thermal engine including an inspection probe for removing a sample volume from a liquid, a measurement channel for conducting the sample volume via an ion source apparatus to a broadband measurement apparatus that is configured to determine a spectrum to be measured in one step, wherein the ion source apparatus is configured for soft ionization and the measurement apparatus forms an intensity signal sequence across the mass spectrum and is configured as a simultaneously measuring time-of-flight detector or as a double-focusing sector field mass spectrometer in Mattauch-Herzog geometry.

A method for processing mass spectral data that has, for example, been obtained using a mass spectrometry device comprising deflection beams for scanning an ion beam over an area spanning the vertical direction of a microchannel plate focal plane detector, in order to increase the count rate of the detector. The method allows to efficiently combine ion counts that are detected on different areas of the focal plane detector, as a result of different deflection voltages being applied to the corresponding ion beams. Even though such beams also suffer unwanted deflections along the horizontal axis of the focal plane detector, the present method allows to re-align ion counts efficiently and to register them with accurate mass-to-charge ratios, which results in increased mass resolution power of the resulting combined mass spectrum.

A determination device for hydrocarbon emissions of a thermal engine including an inspection probe for removing a sample volume from a liquid, a measurement channel for conducting the sample volume via an ion source apparatus to a broadband measurement apparatus that is configured to determine a spectrum to be measured in one step, wherein the ion source apparatus is configured for soft ionization and the measurement apparatus forms an intensity signal sequence across the mass spectrum and is configured as a simultaneously measuring time-of-flight detector or as a double-focusing sector field mass spectrometer in Mattauch-Herzog geometry.