Electrostatic mass spectrometer

A purely electrostatic mass spectrometer of simple construction is proposed. This novel instrument is based on collisions of an ion beam with atoms or molecules of a gas, that makes it possible to determine masses by an ordinary electrostatic energy analyzer. The advantages of the electrostatic mass spectrometer over other types of mass spectrometers are as follows: i) it is simple; ii) it does not require heavy and expensive magnets; iii) it does not require high-frequency fields; iv) registration is continuous.