Quantum theory of the diplon

Abstract

The work of Heisenberg Majorana and Wigner seems to show that the behaviour of protons and neutrons and their interaction in the nucleus may be described by the ordinary methods of quantum mechanics. It is of particular interest to study the simplest nuclear system, i. e ., the diplon, which almost certainly consists of a proton and a neutron. In dealing with such a two-body problem, the wave equation can be rigorously solved if the forces are known, and this problem therefore has the same importance for nuclear mechanics as the hydrogen atom has for atomic theory. The force acting between a proton and a neutron has been investigated by Wigner ( loc. cit. ) who showed that in order to understand the high mass defect of He 4 compared with H 2 one must assume interaction forces with a range much smaller than the radius of H 2 . Without knowing about these forces more than the binding energy of H 2 , one can, then, investigate quantitatively the behaviour of H 2 against various perturbations.