The Use of Retarding Potentials with the Mass Spectrometer

In addition to the use of stopping potentials for the study of metastable ions in a mass spectrometer, there are several other important uses including the study of ions formed with kinetic energy. There are also several interesting phenomena associated with this method which were encountered when this arrangement was first used. A summary of the authors' experiences with this method is given for the benefit of those who might plan to use this arrangement in the future.