Effect of quark antisymmetrization on the binding energy of nuclear matter

We estimate, to leading order in the nuclear matter density, the effect of antisymmetrizing quarks belonging to different nucleons upon the binding energy per nucleon in nuclear matter. A simple Gaussian model for the nucleon quark wave function, together with a one-gluon-exchange potential between quarks, is assumed. Using a linked cluster expansion developed earlier for nuclear matter, we calculate separately the effect of quark interchanges upon the kinetic, hyperfine, Coulomb, and contact terms in the Hamiltonian. A strong net repulsion is found which grows rapidly with the dimensionless parameter α=${\mathit{r}}_0$${\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{F}}$, where ${\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{F}}$ is the nuclear Fermi momentum and ${\mathit{r}}_0$ the nucleon size.