Numerical simulations of kinetic ion temperature in a cryogenic linear multipole trap

This work presents numerical simulations of the kinetic temperature of ions stored in a linear multipole RF trap (22-pole trap) under the influence of elastic collisions with buffer gas. Small distortions, as for example those caused by the trapping endelectrodes, space charges, or noise on the RF signal, can be included into the model. The dependence of the resultant ion temperature on all storage parameters is systematically investigated. In particular, it is found that an unfavourable ion-to-neutral mass ratio and high trapping endelectrode voltages can lead to ion heating far above the trap temperature. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.