Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2014) 129: 265
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2014-14265-1

Regular Article

A novel interferometric mass spectrometry concept

Physical Research Laboratory, 380 009, Ahmedabad, India

Received: 7 February 2014
Revised: 24 April 2014
Accepted: 14 July 2014
Published online: 15 December 2014

Abstract

A novel mass spectrometry concept is presented here which is based on interferometric principle using a newly discovered matter wave on the macro-scale for a charged particle moving in a magnetic field. The wave length of the matter wave involves the mass of the ions, whose features can be used for mass discrimination in the same manner as the photon interferometry is used for discriminating the different wave lengths of light. The concept involves injecting the ions of a given sample consisting of isotopes of a certain element to be discriminated along a uniform magnetic field and varying the magnetic field which sweeps through the various interference peaks. The different masses are then identified through the location of their interference peaks which are mass dependent because of the mass dependence of the associated macro-scale matter wave lengths.