Baryon Junction and String Interactions: Part II

TL;DR

This paper investigates the universal low-energy dynamics of junctions between confining strings in Yang-Mills theories, revealing a hidden symmetry and providing predictions for baryon masses relevant for lattice tests.

Contribution

It introduces a mapping of string junction interactions to scattering amplitudes and uncovers an accidental symmetry affecting these interactions in four-dimensional theories.

Findings

Discovery of an accidental $ ext{Z}_2$ symmetry in 4D

Derivation of baryon mass up to order (baryon size)$^{-3}$

Prediction of testable lattice simulation results

Abstract

We study junctions between confining strings. These junctions arise in Yang-Mills theories, and we focus on their universal low-energy dynamics. Using open-closed duality, we map junctions with nonlinear corrections to the $s$-wave scattering amplitudes between confining string loops. In $(3+1)$ dimensions, we uncover an accidental $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. This symmetry implies novel selection rules for loop scattering amplitudes and is broken by the junction mass at subleading order. We determine the total mass of baryons up to order $(\text{baryon size})^{-3}$, providing new, testable predictions for lattice simulations.