Ec. Sittler, REAL-TIME SPECTRAL-ANALYSIS ALGORITHM FOR SPACE PLASMA 3-DIMENSIONAL ION MASS SPECTROMETERS, Review of scientific instruments, 64(10), 1993, pp. 2771-2781
We have developed a fast real-time spectral analysis algorithm for spa
ce plasma three-dimensional (3D) ion mass spectrometers that deconvolv
es contributions to time-of-flight ion mass spectra for various ion sp
ecies abundances. The algorithm is composed of a set of coupled linear
equations with constant coefficients. The algorithm is implemented so
that in-flight computers need only apply a predetermined number of mu
ltiplies and adds to the spectral data. The algorithm allows run times
to be short and highly predictable, can accommodate the presence of b
ackground in the ion mass spectra, and can be updated to adjust to cal
ibration changes and unexpected instrument anomalies or failures. Spac
e plasma 3D ion mass spectrometers have the capability of generating l
arge volumes of data and if not compressed would produce data rates th
at far exceed the telemetry rate usually allocated to space plasma ins
truments. The real-time application of this algorithm allows one to ac
hieve compression ratios greater than 100 for the spectral data withou
t introducing systematic errors to the computed ion abundances. It als
o allows the application of other higher level data compression techni
ques to provide additional compression of the telemetry data. Finally,
the algorithm can be thought of as a way to increase the mass resolut
ion of the ion spectrometer.