A simulation study of time-of-flight mass spectrometry with an angular chirp enhanced delay cavity

Recent developments of the time-stretch in optics have been closely related to the concept of time-of-flight in mass spectrometry. While the resolution of optical wavelength in time-stretch techniques relies on the differentiation of optical path lengths induced by either free space or dispersive media, the mass resolution in time-of-flight mass spectrometry depends on the overall length of the field-free region during a fly of ions group. In this study, we introduce the latest concept of free-space angular-chirp-enhanced delay (FACED) cavity from the field of optical time-stretch into the time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The FACED cavity in time-of-flight ion optics will be realized using a pair of angularly misaligned electrostatic ion mirrors. We study the properties of the FACED cavity in ion optics using SIMION and demonstrate how the multiple reflections in a time-of-flight mass analysis can be significantly increased.