Analysis of weak neutral currents in hydrogenic ions

We have calculated the decay of a metastable hydrogenic ion through the process 2S→1S+γ, as a possible source of experiments on weak interactions in atoms. Our results are fairly exhaustive for ions with atomic number up to $Z=20$ and nuclear spin $I=0$. We include the effects of applied electric and magnetic fields, and of both 2P1/2 and 2P3/2 virtual states. Within this framework, only one of seven possible P-odd asymmetries is a likely candidate for experiment, the decay anisotropy of a polarized beam in vacuum. No viable experiments were found using the quench radiation in an electric field.