Some progress for our Direct Ion Detection project: the image above shows the beginnings of a test set-up based around a Hamamatsu MPPC chip, which will be coupled to a scintillator coating to form a complete “direct” ion detection system.  This will then be combined with our VIRP chamber (for rapid vacuum instrument prototyping), allowing us to perform experiments with direct ion detection, and optimise the methodologies and technologies. This is a more refined version of the crude test set-up from a couple of weeks ago!

For further backgournd details, see:
A new detector for mass spectrometry: Direct detection of low energy ions using a multi-pixel photon counter
Edward S. Wilman, Sara H. Gardiner, Andrei Nomerotski, Renato Turchetta, Mark Brouard and Claire Vallance
Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 013304 (2012).

Improved direct detection of low-energy ions using a multipixel photon counter coupled with a novel scintillator
Winter, King, Brouard & Vallance
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 397–398, 27–31 (2016)