Mass-spectrometry via oscillatory motion in deep pulsed optical lattices

We describe a new optical diagnostic for determining the composition of gases by measuring the motion of atoms and molecules trapped within very deep optical lattices. This non-resonant method is analogous to conventional Raman scattering, except that the observed spectral features relate to the oscillatory center-of-mass motion of each species within the lattice, determined uniquely by their respective polarizability-to-mass ratio. Depending on the density of the probed sample, detection occurs either via optical scattering at the high end or via non-resonant ionization at the lower end. We show that such a technique is complementary to conventional mass spectrometry techniques and envision its implementation in existing instruments.