Ion Beam Polarization in Storage Rings: Production, Controlling and Preservation

The present paper reports on the actual status of the theoretical concepts for the production of polarized heavy ion beams in storage rings and for methods to control online the degree of polarization as well as investigations of the preservation of the polarization during the ion movement across the magnetic system of the ring. It is argued that for hydrogen-like ions beam polarization can be built up efficiently by optical pumping of the Zeeman sublevels of ground-state hyperfine levels and that the maximal achievable nuclear polarization exceeds 90%. Of special interest are polarized helium-like ions which can be produced by the capture of one electron, because in selected cases parity nonconservation effects are found to be of unprecedented size in Atomic Physics. The measurements of these effects require online-diagnostics of the degree of the ion beam polarization. It is shown that this can be accomplished by an online-detection of the linear polarization of the x-rays which are emitted with the capture of the electron. In order to investigate the preservation of the polarization of the ions stored in the ring, the concept of an instantaneous quantization axis is introduced. The dynamics of this axis and the behaviour of the polarization with respect to it are explored in detail.