A multi-mass and multi-hit two-camera 3D ion momentum imaging system

Area of Science:

• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Chemical Physics
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) momentum imaging of ions is crucial for understanding molecular dynamics and reactions.
• Previous two-camera systems achieved 8.8 ns time resolution, limited by camera timing jitter.
• Accurate time slicing is essential for reconstructing ion trajectories and momentum distributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved two-camera system for multi-mass and multi-hit 3D ion momentum imaging.
• To implement a jitter correction method to enhance temporal resolution.
• To demonstrate the capability of detecting multiple ions with different masses.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a two-camera imaging system based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors.
• Developed and applied a novel jitter correction algorithm to suppress timing variations between cameras.
• Leveraged both rising and falling edges of the camera signals for improved data acquisition.

Main Results:

• Achieved a time resolution better than 2 nanoseconds, a significant improvement over the previous 8.8 ns.
• Successfully reconstructed full 3D momentum distributions of ions.
• Demonstrated the ability to distinguish and detect two ions of different masses simultaneously.

Conclusions:

• The developed jitter correction method substantially enhances the time resolution of two-camera ion momentum imaging systems.
• The improved system enables high-fidelity 3D momentum imaging, suitable for complex multi-hit and multi-mass events.
• This advancement opens new possibilities for detailed investigations in chemical physics and atomic/molecular dynamics.