Chiral Symmetry Breaking by Instantons

Abstract

This is a review of the QCD instanton vacuum. After introducing instantons and their physical meaning, I show that the number of instantons in the vacuum fluctuates in accordance with the QCD trace anomaly. The main properties of the instanton ensemble are given. Chiral symmetry breaking by instantons is explained in three different though mathematically equivalent ways. In particular, a derivation of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio-type model from instantons is presented, and the effective chiral lagrangian to which QCD is reduced at low momenta, is given. I end up by discussing possible confinement mechanisms.