MACROMOLECULE MASS-SPECTROMETER WITH CRYOGENIC PARTICLE DETECTOR Russian patent published in 2002 - IPC

FIELD: studying macromolecules for determining their mass. SUBSTANCE: mass-spectrometer is designed to determine mass of macromolecules including proteins, large peptides, long DNA fragments, and polymers. Kinetic energy of electrostatically accelerated and charged particle are absorbed in cryogenic particle detector ; in the action phonons are emitted and detected by phonon sensor. Macromolecules are detected in the course of counting each particle irrespective of their mass. One of mass-spectrometer alternatives has single- channel cryogenic particle detector and other one, spatially distributed multichannel cryogenic particle detector. Mass-spectrometer has vacuum bowl accommodating magnet, mass separator, conducting member, and multicomponent phonon-sensing cryogenic particle detector. The latter has absorbent and definite number of phonon sensors. Mass separator is disposed in magnetic field of magnet together with conducting member; magnet-isolated electrical potential U1 is applied to the latter. Multicomponent cryogenic detector is grounded and placed at electrical potential U2. Macromolecules are accelerated due to potential difference U1 U2 and arrive at multicomponent cryogenic particle detector with kinetic energy proportional to this potential difference. Macromolecule mass is determined basing on space-time information coming from multicomponent cryogenic particle detector. EFFECT: enhanced time and space resolving power. 30 cl, 25 dwg