Parity nonconservation effect with laser-induced 2^3S_1 - 2^1S_0 transition in heavy heliumlike ions

Abstract

The parity nonconservation (PNC) effect on the laser-induced 2^3S_1 - 2^1S_0 transition in heavy heliumlike ions is considered. A simple analytical formula for the PNC correction to the cross section is derived for the case, when the opposite-parity 2^1S_0 and 2^3P_0 states are almost degenerate and, therefore, the PNC effect is strongly enhanced. Numerical results are presented for heliumlike gadolinium and thorium, which seem most promising candidates for such kind of experiments. In both Gd and Th cases the photon energy required will be anticipated with a high-energy laser built at GSI. Alternatively, it can be gained with ultraviolet lasers utilizing relativistic Doppler tuning at FAIR facilities in Darmstadt.