Abstract
Using the Gell-Mann-Zweig triplet model of quarks (), it is shown that the orbital structure of the wave function has a strong influence on the shape of the baryon form factors. In particular, an antisymmetric wave function () predicts nodal behavior of the proton charge form factor even at values of , in complete disagreement with observation. On the other hand, a symmetrical wave function () not only leads to a smooth structure for this quantity, but shows a pattern in qualitative agreement with experiment. Such a wide difference in predictions is physically due to the fact that while an function of can be easily formed with the basic clusters (1,1) and (2,1) in -wave pairs, an function of needs at least unit values of the partial angular momenta associated with the above clusters. The implication of this result is that within the 56 representation of , it discriminates against Fermi statistics which requires -type functions to go with 56, and favors a sort of parastatistics which at least allows -type functions in 56. The validity of this "selection rule" is strictly within the premises of a single-triplet quark model, and does not rule out other possibilities in the context of more extended quark models.
- Received 25 April 1966
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.150.1194
©1966 American Physical Society