Categories of exhibits
MALDI source laser beam mirror
Exhibit no. 833
In MALDI, a laser system generates a pulsed light beam at a defined wavelength and intensity. The optical bench of the system usually contains various elements like mirrors, lenses, and irises, which guide the laser beam and control its divergence. An adjustable tilt mirror is commonly used to reflect the laser light into an ion source.
In Bruker’s MALDI TOF mass spectrometers, the beam from the laser system is reflected into the ion source through an optical lens, which focuses the beam and at the same time acts as a window into the vacuum. In the ion source, the light is reflected twice more before it hits the target. The exhibit comes from a Reflex IV mass spectrometer manufactured by Bruker Daltonics in the 2000s. The mirror mount contains two knobs for adjusting the tilt of the mirror.
