Density dependence of nucleon bag constant, radius and mass in an effective field theory model of QCD

With the global color symmetry model (GCM) being extended to finite chemical potential, the density dependence of the bag constant, the total energy and the radius of a nucleon, as well as the quark condensate in nuclear matter are investigated. A maximal nuclear matter density for the existence of the bag with three quarks confined within is obtained. The calculated results indicate that, before the maximal density is reached, the bag constant, the total energy of a nucleon and the quark condensate decrease gradually, and the radius of a nucleon increases, with the increasing of the nuclear matter density. Nevertheless no sudden change emerges. As the maximal nuclear matter density is reached, a phase transition from nucleons to quarks takes place and the chiral symmetry is restored. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.