Theory of the polarization of highly charged ions in storage rings: Production, preservation, observation and application to the search for a violation of the fundamental symmetries

Theoretical concepts for the production, preservation and control of polarized highly charged ion beams in storage rings are investigated. It is argued that hydrogen-like ions can be polarized efficiently by optical pumping of the Zeeman sublevels of ground state hyperfine levels and that the maximum achievable nuclear polarization exceeds 90%. In order to study the preservation of the polarization during the ion motion through the magnetic system of the ring, the concept of the instantaneous quantization axis is introduced. It is suggested that the employment of “Siberian snakes” may help to preserve the ion beam polarization in the ring. The control of the beam polarization can be achieved by different methods: by measuring the Stokes parameters for the emitted photons or by observing the angular dependence of the transition rates for polarized ions. The important motivation for the production of polarized ion beams is the possibility to observe parity nonconservation effects in the hyperfine-quenched transitions in helium-like highly charged ions, where these effects can reach an unprecedented high value for atomic physics. The possible observation of parity nonconservation effects connected with the nuclear anapole moment is also discussed. A method for the observation of the electric dipole moment of an electron in a storage ring with a polarized highly charged ion beam is proposed. This method allows, in principle, to improve the existing boundaries for the electric dipole moment of an electron. However, the requirements of the corresponding experiment are very stringent.

► The production, preservation and control of polarized highly charged ions in storage rings are investigated.
► Methods for the real-time control of the degree of the polarization of the ions are presented.
► Extremely large parity nonconservation effects are expected in He-like heavy ions.
► Such effects can be deduced from the asymmetry of X-rays emitted by excited, polarized heavy ions.
► A new type of experiment on the electric dipole moment of the electron with ions in storage rings is discussed.