This Chapter discusses the design and implementation of a new ion source, created to study new species and to probe predissociated states of molecular ions other than those found using conventional electron impact ion sources.
A steady-state continuous cooled molecular beam is ionised, skimmed and focussed into an ion beam. A source was designed for this purpose and for ease of attachment to the existing ion-beam vacuum apparatus, with the minimum disruption or modification.
The experimental principles are similar to those outlined in Chapter 2: a collimated ion beam is formed, parent species mass selected and fragmented with collinear laser radiation. Fragments are separated from the parent ions using a second electromagnet and detected at an electron multiplier.