Analysis of dynamical corrections to baryon magnetic moments

Abstract

We present and analyze QCD corrections to the baryon magnetic moments in terms of the one-, two-, and three-body operators which appear in the effective field theory developed in our recent papers. The main corrections are extended Thomas-type corrections associated with the confining interactions in the baryon. We investigate the contributions of low-lying angular excitations to the moments quantitatively and show that they are completely negligible. When the QCD corrections are combined with the non-quark model contributions of the meson loops, we obtain a model which describes the moments within a mean deviation of 0.04 $\mu_N$. The nontrivial interplay of the two types of corrections to the quark-model moments is analyzed in detail, and explains why the quark model is so successful. In the course of these calculations, we parametrize the general spin structure of the $j={1/2}^+$ baryon wave functions in a form which clearly displays the symmetry properties and the internal angular momentum content of the wave functions, and allows us to use spin-trace methods to calculate the many spin matrix elements which appear in the expressions for the moments. This representation may be useful elsewhere.