An Electrostatic Ion Beam Trap Technique and Its Application

Abstract

An electrostatic ion beam trap confines the keV energy ion beam in a finite space using only electrostatic force. This device has a simple structure in which the ions oscillate between the two electrostatic reflectors located on opposite sides. The space between the two reflectors is a field-free region so that the kinetic energy of the ions in this region is equal to their injection energy. Therefore, the device allows us to study interactions of mono-energetic ions with atoms, ions, electrons, and photons. An advantage of the electrostatic ion beam trap is that the electric field for the storage of the ions is independent of the ion mass at a given energy. This opens the possibility of experiments using ion beams of heavier molecular ions, such as cluster ions and biomolecular ions. In this article, we provide an overview of the design and operation of the electrostatic ion beam trap. After this we will present our recent experimental results briefly.