Special Colloquium, February 16, 2004

Mass without Mass from QCD Instantons

Thomas Schaefer

North Carolina State University
and Riken-BNL

QCD, the theory of quarks and gluons, is a theory of mass without mass. QCD describes, in particular, how massive protons and neutrons arise from almost massless up and down quarks. This phenomenon is responsible for roughly 95% of the visible mass in the universe (The remainder is believed to be due to the Higgs particle). But how does it work? I describe evidence that instantons, quantum mechanical tunneling events that connect different colored vacuum states are responsible for the generation of mass.

1:00 p.m., Smith Laboratory, Room 1094

Refreshments served in Smith 1094 at 12:30 p.m.