Mass analysis apparatuses and methods

Abstract

A device () for manipulating charged particles, the device comprising a series of electrodes () that form a channel for transportation of the charged particles. A power supply unit () provides a voltage to axially segmented bunching electrodes to create a potential well within the channel having one or more local minima between local maxima (). The well is translated along the channel. An axial extraction region () comprises electrodes defining an end of the channel. They receive a supply voltage to create a pseudo-potential within the channel such that the depth of the potential well varies according to the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of the charged particles transported therein and reduces as a local maxima of the potential well is translated axially towards the axial extraction region thereby to release the transported charged particles of different mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) at different respective times.