Ion optics simulation of an ion beam setup coupled to an electrospray ionization source, strengths, and limitations

Abstract

A unified approach to achieve a start-to-end ion optics simulation of an ion beam apparatus coupled to an electrospray ionization source is presented. We demonstrate that simulations enable reliable information on the behavior and operation of the apparatus to be obtained, but due to the collisions with the buffer gas in the initial stages of the setup, the results concerning the kinetic energy of the ion beam must be treated with care.