An ion source produces ions for a beam or another experiment. Ionization changes the charge state of an atom or molecule; an applied electric field can then extract charged particles into a transport region. The resulting particle beam depends on the ionization mechanism, extraction geometry and the distribution of initial positions and velocities.
One arrangement uses an electron beam to ionize a gas and an electrode voltage to extract the products. Surface ionization is another mechanism: suitable atoms can leave a hot surface as ions, as in the surface ionization detector. Producing an ion and identifying its species are separate operations, so a source may need downstream mass spectrometry or other selection when several charged species are present.
An ion source is a device or system used to generate ions, which are atoms or molecules that have lost or gained one or more electrons, resulting in a net electric charge. Ion sources are crucial components in a variety of applications, including mass spectrometry, particle accelerators, and nuclear fusion research, among others.
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