Dynamical Interpretation of the Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction and Exchange Currents in the Large $N_C$ Limit

Abstract

Expression of the nucleon-nucleon Interaction to order $1/N_C$ in terms of Fermi Invariants allows a dynamical interpretation of the interaction and leads to a consistent construction of the associated interaction currents to order $1/N_C$. The numerically significant components of 4 different modern realistic phenomenological interaction models are shown to admit very similar meson exchange interpretations in the large $N_C$ limit. Moreover the ratio of the volume integrals of the leading, next-to-leading and next-to-next leading order terms in these interaction models is roughly 300:5-10:0.1, which corresponds fairly well to the ratios of $1/N_C^2$ between the terms that would be suggested by the $1/N_C$ expansion if $N_C=3$. The $N_C$ dependence of the electromagnetic and axial interaction currents that are associated with these interaction components is derived and compared to that of the corresponding single nucleon currents.