Understanding the nucleon as a Borromean bound-state

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the nucleon is best understood as a Borromean bound-state primarily formed through diquark correlations driven by non-Abelian QCD effects, with observable consequences and experimental validation prospects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective that the nucleon is a Borromean bound-state with diquark clustering driven by non-Abelian QCD effects, linking chiral symmetry breaking and confinement.

Findings

Diquark clusters arise from non-Abelian QCD effects.

Diquark clustering is connected to chiral symmetry breaking.

Experimental tests can validate the Borromean nucleon model.

Abstract

Analyses of the three valence-quark bound-state problem in relativistic quantum field theory predict that the nucleon may be understood primarily as a Borromean bound-state, in which binding arises mainly from two separate effects. One originates in non-Abelian facets of QCD that are expressed in the strong running coupling and generate confined but strongly-correlated colour-antitriplet diquark clusters in both the scalar-isoscalar and pseudovector-isotriplet channels. That attraction is magnified by quark exchange associated with diquark breakup and reformation. Diquark clustering is driven by the same mechanism which dynamically breaks chiral symmetry in the Standard Model. It has numerous observable consequences, the complete elucidation of which requires a framework that also simultaneously expresses the running of the coupling and masses in the strong interaction. Planned experiments are capable of validating this picture.