Patent ID: 7514675
Filing Date: 2009-04-07
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
1. A mass spectrometer, comprising: a) an ion source for ejecting ions to be analyzed, from which the ions start their flight; b) a first flight space for temporally separating the ions according to their mass-to-charge ratios during their flight; c) a first detector for detecting the ions coming from the first flight space; d) a second flight space for making the ions repeatedly fly along a substantially a same loop orbit multiple times; e) a flight path selector, located on the flight path within the first flight space, for changing the flight path of the ions so that the ions coming from the ion source are selectively introduced into the second flight space; f) a second detector, located on the loop orbit, for detecting the ions passing therethrough while leaving a portion of the ions intact; and g) a processor for calculating mass-to-charge ratios of the ions in one of following two modes: a first mass spectrometry mode in which the mass-to-charge ratios are calculated from a detection result obtained with the first detector; and a second mass spectrometry mode in which the mass-to-charge ratios are calculated by a process including steps of creating waveform data indicating the flight time for each turn of the ions on a basis of a detection result obtained with the second detector, performing a Fourier transformation for a time/frequency conversion of the waveform data, and calculating the mass-to-charge ratio of an objective ion from frequency data.