Mass spectrograph ion source wherein a pulsed arc is produced by vibrating one electrode

Claim 1

IN AN ION SOURCE FOR A MASS SPECTROGRAPH HAVING AN ION EXTRACTION MEANS AT ONE END THEREOF, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, A FIRST AND SOLID POINTED ANODE HAVING A FIRST AXIS, A SLITTED, HOLLOW, CYLINDRICAL CATHODE FORMING AN INSIDE WALL AROUND A UNIFORM DIAMETER WELL HAVING A SECOND AXIS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID FIRST AXIS, SAID CATHODE FORMING A SLIT IN SAID INSIDE WALL PARALLEL WITH SAID SECOND AXIS FOR INSERTING SAID ANODE FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID WELL TO THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF TRANSVERSE TO SAID SECOND AXIS, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID ANODE AND CATHODE AT LOW VOLTAGE FOR PRODUCING IONS FROM SOLID MATERIAL IN AN ARC BETWEEN SAID POINTED ANODE AND THE INSIDE WALL OF SAID CATHODE AT THE POINT ANODE AND THE INSIDE WALL OF AND SAID WALL OPPOSITE TO SAID SLIT, AND MEANS FOR VIBRATING SAID ANODE BACK AND FORTH IN A FIRST PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID SLIT AND INTERSECTING SAID SECOND AXIS AND THE INSIDE WALL OF SAID CATHODE, THE DIRECTION OF SAID VIBRATION BEING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID SECOND AXIS WHEREBY SAID ARC IS PULSED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID SECOND AXIS TO PROVIDE A PULSED JET OF IONS THAT IS SHAPED BY SAID ANODE AND CATHODE TO LIMIT THE ESCAPE THEREOF IN A SMALL SOLID ANGLE INTO SAID ION EXTRACTION MEANS ALONG A THIRD AXIS CORRESPONDING TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID FIRST PLANE AND THE INSIDE WALL OF SAID CATHODE IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE DIRECTIONS OF SAID VIBRATION OF SAID ANODE AND THE PULSING ARC PRODUCED THEREBY.