Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) describes the interactions between elementary quarks and gluons as they compose the nucleons at the heart of atomic structure. The interactions give rise to complexity that can only be examined via numerical simulations on supercomputers. This work provides an introduction to the numerical simulations of lattice QCD and establishes new formalisms relevant to understanding the structure of nucleons and their excited states. The research opens with an examination of the non-trivial QCD vacuum and the emergence of “centre domains.” The focus then turns to establishing a novel Parity-Expanded Variational Analysis (PEVA) technique solving the important problem of isolating baryon states moving with finite momentum. This seminal work provides a foundation for future calculations of baryon properties. Implementation of the PEVA formalism discloses important systematic errors in conventional calculations and reveals the structure of nucleon excited states from the first principles of QCD for the first time.

Dramatic progress has been made in all branches of physics since the National Research Council's 1986 decadal survey of the field. The Physics in a New Era series explores these advances and looks ahead to future goals. The series includes assessments of the major subfields and reports on several smaller subfields, and preparation has begun on an overview volume on the unity of physics, its relationships to other fields, and its contributions to national needs. Nuclear Physics is the latest volume of the series. The book describes current activity in understanding nuclear structure and symmetries, the behavior of matter at extreme densities, the role of nuclear physics in astrophysics and cosmology, and the instrumentation and facilities used by the field. It makes recommendations on the resources needed for experimental and theoretical advances in the coming decade.

As the only stable baryon, the nucleon is of crucial importance in particle physics. Since the nucleon is a building block for all atomic nuclei, there is a need to analyse the its structure in order to fully understand the essential properties of all atomic nuclei. After more than forty years of research on the nucleon, both the experimental and theoretical situations have matured to a point where a synthesis of the results becomes indispensable. Here, A.W. Thomas and W. Weise present a unique report on the extensive empirical studies, theoretical foundations and the different models of the nucleon. The appendices provide an extensive summary of formulae needed in practical calculations. From the contents: electromagnetic structure of the nucleon, weak probes of nucleon structure, deep inelastic lepton scattering on the nucleon; elements of QCD, aspects of non-perturbative QCD, Chiral Symmetry and nucleon structure, models of the nucleon

This thesis discusses two key topics: strangeness and charge symmetry violation (CSV) in the nucleon. It also provides a pedagogical introduction to chiral effective field theory tailored to the high-precision era of lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Because the nucleon has zero net strangeness, strange observables give tremendous insight into the nature of the vacuum; they can only arise through quantum fluctuations in which strange–antistrange quark pairs are generated. As a result, the precise values of these quantities within QCD are important in physics arenas as diverse as precision tests of QCD, searches for physics beyond the Standard Model, and the interpretation of dark matter direct-detection experiments. Similarly, the precise knowledge of CSV observables has, with increasing experimental precision, become essential to the interpretation of many searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. In this thesis, the numerical lattice gauge theory approach to QCD is combined with the chiral perturbation theory formalism to determine strange and CSV quantities in a diverse range of observables including the octet baryon masses, sigma terms, electromagnetic form factors, and parton distribution functions. This thesis builds a comprehensive and coherent picture of the current status of understanding of strangeness and charge symmetry violation in the nucleon.

This volume presents an overview of the many new and exciting results, both theoretical and experimental, in the area of spin structure functions and sum rules at low to moderate photon virtuality Q2. It includes contributions from many leading scientists in the field worldwide.The volume covers the following topics:• recent results on the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule with real photons and its extensions to virtual photons• inclusive spin structure functions at low to moderate Q2 and their moments• exclusive measurements of nucleon spin structure in the resonance region• spin polarizabilities and Compton scattering• chiral perturbation theory and other low-energy limits of QCD• lattice QCD, duality, and phenomological models• nuclear effects and the GDH sum rule in nuclei• experimental techniques (polarized targets and beams)• future plans and projects

Chiral Dynamics 2006 consists the most recent developments in the field of chiral symmetry and dynamics. Advances in theory and updates on experimental programs are presented in 20 papers in the plenary program and more than one hundred invited and contributed talks from the working groups are included in another section.

Presents discussion of the role played by two subtle and somehow puzzling quantum numbers, the strangeness and the spin, in fundamental physics.