Mesonic folded diagram theory of the nucleon-nucleon potential

Abstract

We propose a general theory for deriving the nucleon-nucleon ($\mathrm{NN}$) potential $V$ from meson exchanges. Our potential preserves the half-on-shell $\mathrm{NN}$ $T$ matrix, contains mesonic folded diagrams, and is energy independent. Mesonic folded diagrams are estimated to be of negligible effect for the long-range part of $V$ but may be important for its medium- and short-range parts.