We present here the design of a new tandem mass spectrometer that combines an electrospray ion source with a cryogenically cooled ion trap for spectroscopic studies of cold, gas-phase ions. The ability to generate large ions in the gas phase without fragmentation, cool them to ~10 K in an ion trap and perform photofragment spectroscopy opens up new possibilities for spectroscopic characterization of large biomolecular ions. The incorporation of an ion funnel, together with a number of small enhancements, significantly improves the sensitivity, signal stability and ease of use compared with the previous instrument built in our laboratory.
Christian Ludwig, Daniil Salionov, Sasa Bjelic
Vladimir Kopysov, Andrei Zviagin