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electron multiplier
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Figure 7: The mass spectrum of osmium. This recorder trace was obtained with an electron multiplier detecting OsO3−. The leftmost and rightmost peaks were recorded with the detector gain set at a value 100 times that used for the rest of the spectrum; this change is marked by the change in the baseline position. The small satellite peaks to the left are those of the low abundance oxygen isotopes 17O and 18O; the osmium isotopes are, from left to right, 184Os, 186Os, 188Os, 189Os, 190Os, and the satellite peaks of 192Os.
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electron multiplier

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Figure 7: The mass spectrum of osmium. This recorder trace was obtained with an electron multiplier detecting OsO3−. The leftmost and rightmost peaks were recorded with the detector gain set at a value 100 times that used for the rest of the spectrum; this change is marked by the change in the baseline position. The small satellite peaks to the left are those of the low abundance oxygen isotopes 17O and 18O; the osmium isotopes are, from left to right, 184Os, 186Os, 188Os, 189Os, 190Os, and the satellite peaks of 192Os.
Figure 7: The mass spectrum of osmium. This recorder trace was obtained with an electron multiplier detecting OsO3−. The leftmost and rightmost peaks were recorded with the detector gain set at a value 100 times that used for the rest of the spectrum; this change is marked by the change in the baseline position. The small satellite peaks to the left are those of the low abundance oxygen isotopes 17O and 18O; the osmium isotopes are, from left to right, 184Os, 186Os, 188Os, 189Os, 190Os, and the satellite peaks of 192Os.

An electron multiplier is an electronic device that amplifies a current of electrons through a process called secondary emission. This amplification is achieved by arranging electrodes, known as dynodes, so that electrons striking one dynode release multiple electrons, which then strike the next dynode, creating a cascade effect. This multiplication can increase the electron count by as much as a million times.123

Electron multipliers are highly sensitive and can detect single ions, making them valuable in various scientific instruments. They are used in photomultiplier tubes to measure faint light intensities in fields like astronomy and nuclear studies. In mass spectrometry, they serve as detectors for ion beams, capable of measuring small currents or counting individual ions.324

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. electron multiplier
  2. photomultiplier tube
  3. mass spectrometry - Daly detector
  4. mass spectrometry - Electron multipliers

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