A schematic model of baryons and mesons

Abstract

If we assume that the strong interactions of baryons and mesons are correctly described in terms of the broken "eightfold way", we are tempted to look for some fundamental explanation of the situation. A highly promised approach is the purely dynamical "bootstrap" model for all the strongly interacting particles within which one may try to derive isotopic spin and strangeness conservation and broken eightfold symmetry from self-consistency alone. Of course, with only strong interactions, the orientation of the asymmetry in the unitary space cannot be specified; one hopes that in some way the selection of specific components of the F-spin by electromagnetism and the weak interactions determines the choice of isotopic spin and hypercharge directions.

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