Chiral physics, quarks, and \(N\)-\(N\) forces (Q5948481)

The problem of the derivation of effective quark kernels in the QCD non-perturbative regime is discussed. We argue that the physics of spontaneous breakdown of chiral symmetry acts like a filter for the details of such kernels, allowing for a quantitative discussion of low-energy hadronic phenomena despite the lack of knowledge of their precise form. The Goldstone nature of the pion and \(\pi\)-\(\pi\) scattering lengths are shown to furnish good examples of that. The gluon-gluon correlator is discussed for the heavy-light quark system, and the mass-gap equation associated with the light-quark propagator is solved for a simple parametrization of this gluon-gluon correlator. An effective Hamiltonian describing pion physics is presented together with its derivation from microscopic models. \(\pi\)-\(\pi\) scattering is discussed and the Weinberg results for \(I=0\) and \(I=2\) are re-derived. The \(N\)-\(N\) force is briefly discussed.