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How does a time-of-flight mass analyzer separate ions?

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A time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer separates ions by measuring the time it takes for them to travel a fixed distance from an ion source to a detector.12

The process relies on the principle that ions of the same energy will travel at different velocities depending on their mass. Because the kinetic energy of an ion is related to its velocity ( $v$ ) and mass ( $m$ ) by the formula $v = \sqrt{2 z V / m}$ (where $z$ is the charge and $V$ is the accelerating potential), lighter ions travel faster than heavier ones.1

In a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, a short pulse of ions is extracted from the source. As these ions traverse a sufficiently long distance, they sort themselves out by speed, allowing the mass of each ion to be calculated directly based on its arrival time at the detector. This method is valued for its speed and its ability to display an entire mass spectrum, though it is often limited by lower resolution compared to other techniques.12