Does the MALDI-Tof MS instrument emit any electric or magnetic field outside the instument, which could interfere with other instruments in the same room? Can we put MALDI to the same box as SQUID (the distance would be about 1,5 meter)?
Has anybody any experience in that area?
I think its no problem. It seems MALDI-TOF does not emit strong electromagnetic radiation. Moreover, such an instrument as MALDI is sensitive to extraneous EM fields so you should ask about the possibility of interference from SQUID to MALDI performance. In our lab there are two MALDI spectrometers standing at the distance of 0.5 m and we do not observe any problems except the need of good air conditioning.
MALDI-TOF equipments use laser and high voltages to desorb and accelerate ions in gas phase. In flight tube ions are detected by their time of flight, which is determined by their mass and charge, so TOF does not use electromagnetic field as an ion analyser. However, MALDI-TOF equipments have desktop computers whose magnetic field strength and frequency may be a concern since SQUID is capable of detecting minimal changes in magnetic fields such as in the human body, brain for instance. In the other hand, I think SQUID absolutely won´t noise MALDI-TOF analysis. I would try this: use a hand magnetometer or gaussmeter to measure magnetic fielf nearby the MALDI or its desktop computer and then around a person within the lab and see what comes out.
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