Adiabatic nucleon-nucleon potentials are calculated in a six-quark nonrelativistic chiral constituent quark model where the Hamiltonian contains a linear confinement and a pseudoscalar meson (Goldstone boson) exchange interaction between quarks. Calculations are performed both in a cluster model and a molecular orbital basis, through coupled channels. In both cases the potentials present an important hard core at short distances, explained through the dominance of the $[51{]}_{\mathrm{FS}}$ configuration, but do not exhibit an attractive pocket. We add a scalar meson exchange interaction and show how it can account for some middle-range attraction.

• Received 29 March 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.60.055207