Patent ID: 8831888
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: G06F,G06K,G16B,G16C,H01J

Abstract:
1. A computer implemented method of characterizing a sample by identifying a most likely elemental composition of a measured peak of interest in a spectrum obtained from that sample, comprising the steps of: (a) identifying, for the peak of interest in the spectrum of the sample, a plurality of elemental compositions having a peak whose position lies within a predetermined tolerance of the position of the said measured peak of interest; (b) forming a set of candidate compositions from the identified plurality of elemental compositions; (c) generating a theoretical isotopic spectrum for each of the candidate compositions in the said formed set thereof; (d) selecting peaks within each theoretical isotopic spectrum thus generated, for further processing; (e) for each candidate composition of the set, in turn: (f) identifying which of the set of candidate elemental compositions of the measured peak of interest is the most likely elemental composition thereof, by determining which candidate composition has the lowest PSD; and (g) outputting data representative of the identified most likely elemental composition of the measured peak of interest;