Parity-Violation Studies with Partially Stripped Ions

authored by: Jan Richter, Anna V. Maiorova, Anna V. Viatkina, Dmitry Budker, Andrey Surzhykov
Abstract: A theoretical study of photoexcitation of highly charged ions from their ground states, a process which can be realized at the Gamma Factory at CERN, is presented. Special attention is paid to the question of how the excitation rates are affected by the mixing of opposite-parity ionic levels, which is induced both by an external electric field and the weak interaction between electrons and the nucleus. In order to reinvestigate this “Stark-plus-weak-interaction” mixing, well-known in neutral atomic systems, we employ relativistic Dirac theory. Based on the developed approach, detailed calculations are performed for the 1s (Formula presented.) 2s_1/2 and (Formula presented.) (M1 + parity–violating–E1) transitions in hydrogen- and lithium-like ions, respectively. In particular, we focus on the difference between the excitation rates obtained for the right- and left-circularly polarized incident light. This difference arises due to the parity violating mixing of ionic levels and is usually characterized in terms of the circular–dichroism parameter. We argue that future measurements of circular dichroism, performed with highly charged ions in the SPS or LHC rings, may provide valuable information on the electron–nucleus weak–interaction coupling.
External Organisation(s): National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB)
Technische Universität Braunschweig
St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University
RAS - Saint Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
University of California at Berkeley
Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology Braunschweig (LENA)
Type: Article
Journal: Annalen der Physik
Volume: 534
ISSN: 0003-3804
Publication date: 08.03.2022
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Physics and Astronomy(all)
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.202100561 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{43540dd1318e4aaf8865b9977e82f120,
title = "Parity-Violation Studies with Partially Stripped Ions",
abstract = "A theoretical study of photoexcitation of highly charged ions from their ground states, a process which can be realized at the Gamma Factory at CERN, is presented. Special attention is paid to the question of how the excitation rates are affected by the mixing of opposite-parity ionic levels, which is induced both by an external electric field and the weak interaction between electrons and the nucleus. In order to reinvestigate this “Stark-plus-weak-interaction” mixing, well-known in neutral atomic systems, we employ relativistic Dirac theory. Based on the developed approach, detailed calculations are performed for the 1s (Formula presented.) 2s1/2 and (Formula presented.) (M1 + parity–violating–E1) transitions in hydrogen- and lithium-like ions, respectively. In particular, we focus on the difference between the excitation rates obtained for the right- and left-circularly polarized incident light. This difference arises due to the parity violating mixing of ionic levels and is usually characterized in terms of the circular–dichroism parameter. We argue that future measurements of circular dichroism, performed with highly charged ions in the SPS or LHC rings, may provide valuable information on the electron–nucleus weak–interaction coupling.",
keywords = "atomic parity violation, circular dichroism, partially stripped ions, photoexcitation",
author = "Jan Richter and Maiorova, {Anna V.} and Viatkina, {Anna V.} and Dmitry Budker and Andrey Surzhykov",
note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful for helpful discussions with Mieczyslaw Witold Krasny and Mikhail Kozlov. This work was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 19‐12‐00157), the GFK‐Fellowship (JGU Mainz), and under Germany's Excellence Strategy–EXC‐2123 QuantumFrontiers–390837967. The work at Mainz was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) ‐ Project ID 423116110 and by the Cluster of Excellence Precision Physics, Fundamental Interactions, and Structure of Matter (PRISMA+ EXC 2118/1) funded by the DFG within the German Excellence Strategy (Project ID 39083149). ",
year = "2022",
month = mar,
day = "8",
doi = "10.1002/andp.202100561",
language = "English",
volume = "534",
journal = "Annalen der Physik",
issn = "0003-3804",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "3",
}