= Ion source
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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.
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