FOURIER-TRANSFORM ION-CYCLOTRON RESONANCE OF HIGHLY-CHARGED ATOMIC IONS

The feasibility of applying Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT/ICR) to highly-charged atomic ions is discussed based on present achievements. In particular two features have to be addressed: the high charge states and the high cyclotron frequencies of highly-charged atomic ions. FT/ICR has recently been applied to highly-charged molecular, i.e. heavy ions. It has also been applied to singly-charged light ions, which have cyclotron frequencies comparable to those of highly-charged atomic ions. Therefore FT/ICR should be easily applicable to the expanding field of investigation of highly-charged atomic ions. Prominent features of the technique are the broadband capability, the high sensitivity/low detection limit, relativistic frequency shifts, and high kinetic energies. New experiments making use of these features are proposed.