In 1938, Walker Bleakney and John
A. Hipple first described the
cycloidal mass analyzer as the only mass analyzer configuration capable
of “perfect” ion focusing. Why has their geometry been
largely neglected for many years and how might it earn a respectable
place in the world of modern chemical analysis? This Perspective explores
the properties of the cycloidal mass analyzer and identifies the lack
of suitable ion array detectors as a significant reason why cycloidal
mass analyzers are not widely used. The recent development of capacitive
transimpedance amplifier array detectors can enable several techniques
using cycloidal mass analyzers including spatially coded apertures
and single particle mass analysis with a “virtual-slit”,
helping the cycloidal mass analyzer earn a respectable place in chemical
analysis.
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