Abstract:
The Standard Model of particle physics, particularly the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), provides an exceptionally successful description of the strong interaction. However, a first-principles, analytical proof of color confinement—the empirical observation that quarks and gluons are never found in isolation—remains one of the great unsolved problems in theoretical physics. This paper introduces a novel theoretical framework that re-conceptualizes the fundamental nature of the quark. We postulate that quarks are not 0-dimensional point particles but are intrinsically (1+1)-dimensional relativistic objects, or “1-branes,” whose dynamics are described by a 2D worldsheet embedded in (3+1)-dimensional spacetime. This foundational shift offers a direct, geometric explanation for color confinement, which arises naturally from the intrinsic tension of the quark worldsheet, rather than as a complex emergent property of the gluon field. Within this framework, fundamental quark properties such as mass, spin, and flavor are reinterpreted as excitations and parameters of the worldsheet geometry. The model provides a natural topological classification scheme for both conventional hadrons (mesons and baryons) and the growing zoology of exotic states (tetraquarks, pentaquarks), unifying disparate phenomenological models into a single coherent structure. Furthermore, the model is shown to be consistent with key experimental observations, including the point-like behavior of quarks in high-energy deep inelastic scattering. We conclude by discussing the model’s profound implications, including testable predictions for new hadron spectroscopy at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its potential to serve as a conceptual bridge between QCD and foundational theories such as string theory and emergent spacetime.
Yıldırım, E. (2025). A Brane-World Model of the Quark: Geometric Origins of Confinement and the Structure of Hadrons. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17036486
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