Quark flavor distribution functions for the octet baryons in the chiral quark constituent model

Abstract

The quark flavor distribution functions of the octet baryons ($N$, $\Sigma$, $\Xi$ and $\Lambda$) have been calculated in the chiral constituent quark model ($\chi$CQM). In particular, the valence and sea quark flavor distribution functions of the scalar density matrix elements of octet baryons have been computed explicitly. The implications of chiral symmetry breaking and SU(3) symmetry breaking have been discussed in detail for the sea quark asymmetries, fraction of a particular quark (antiquark) present in a baryon, flavor structure functions and the Gottfried integral. The meson-baryon sigma terms $\sigma_{\pi B}$, $\sigma_{K B}$, and $\sigma_{\eta B}$ for the case of $N$, $\Sigma$ and $\Xi$ baryons have also been calculated. The results have been compared with the recent available experimental observations for the case of $N$ and how the future experiments for $\Sigma$, $\Xi$ and $\Lambda$ can provide important constraints to describe the role of non-valence (sea) degrees of freedom has been discussed.