Deconvolution of mass spectra

A deconvolution technique was used to try to reveal peaks in poorly resolved mass spectra resulting from heavy-ion nuclear reactions. Deconvolution presents the advantage of not requiring an initial guess of the position and number of centroids. The technique was tested using a known well-resolved spectrum that was purposely distorted and subsequently deconvolved. The technique was then applied to the experimental data. It is shown that deconvolution can be successfully applied to reveal peaks in poorly resolved spectra. (orig.)