Definition of Resonance-ionization mass spectrometry

1. Resonance-ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) uses photons to promote an atom or molecule above its ionization potential to create an ion. Since each element has a unique energy level structure , RIMS provides a selective ionization method .

   Two examples of RIMS processes

   In the example on the left one photon resonantly excites an atom to an excited state and a second photon promotes the atom above its ionization potential. The example on the right shows a fully resonant three-photon RIMS process that terminates on an autoionizing level. Instrumentation Please refer to the introductory document on Mass spectrometry . Applications RIMS is useful for studying the electronic structure of atoms or molecules and to make quantitative measurements of analyte concentrations. Related topics:

   • Mass spectrometry (Intro)
   • Ionization methods
   • Ion detectors
   • Resonance-ionization spectroscopy(RIS)
   • Laser-enhanced ionization (LEI)