Mapping the pseudopotential well for all values of the Mathieu parameter q in digital and sinusoidal ion traps

Abstract

Previously our group developed spreadsheet based programs for facile production of stability diagrams because any change in the duty cycle of the rectangular waveforms changes their shape. In this publication, these programs have been extended to calculate the pseudopotential well depth of quadrupolar fields in each orthogonal direction for all values of the Mathieu parameter, q. These results were extended to 3D sinusoidal ion traps and the map of the pseudopotential well depth as a function of q was compared to the literature for validation. The duty cycle of digital ion trap waveforms was then varied to observe the change in the pseudopotential wells in each direction. Duty cycle was then manipulated with the goal of enhancing the capabilities and performance of the ion traps.