Mesic retardation and the triton binding energy

The relationship between the apparently successful result for the triton binding energy obtained from the static Bonn potentials and the underlying meson theory is investigated. The triton binding is shown to be strongly dependent upon mesic retardation and associated explicit energy dependences in the meson theory of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. Because it is a much closer representation of the full interaction than are its energy-independent counterparts, the energy-dependent one-boson-exchange potential representation of the Bonn interaction is used to gauge the implications of the full interaction. This one-boson-exchange potential, with or without corrections to adapt it for use in conjunction with nonrelativistic (Schrödinger) three-body equations, predicts a triton binding of only ∼6.7 MeV, as compared to a result of about 8.4 MeV obtained with the energy-independent potentials. This difference is traced to the combination of the explicit energy-dependence and the implicit energy dependence introduced through the tensor force, especially in the ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{S}_1^{}{}_{}{}^{}$ partial wave. This provides a new perspective on the success of the static Bonn potentials relative to other realistic potentials and relative to the meson-theoretic framework. Implications, especially with regard to the need for investigations of consistent three-body forces, are discussed.