From 19 to 23 October 2026, the international workshop “Theoretical Motivations and Empirical Evidence for Diquark Correlations in Hadrons” was held at the European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas (ECT*) in Trento, Italy. The Institute for Nonperturbative Physics (INP), School of Physics, Nanjing University, co-organized the meeting.

INP Director Prof. Craig D. Roberts was one of the workshop organizers, alongside Taisiya Mineeva (University of La Serena, Chile), Bogdan Wojtsekhowski (Jefferson Lab, USA), and Zhao-Qian Yao (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany). At the opening session, ECT* Director Prof. Ubirajara van Kolck expressed appreciation for INP’s support.

Workshop participants at ECT*, Trento.

Opening-session acknowledgement of INP’s support.

Scientific focus

Advances in experimental techniques, continuum bound-state methods and lattice QCD have renewed interest in quark–quark (diquark) correlations within hadrons. The workshop brought together experimentalists, phenomenologists and theorists to examine evidence for such correlations and their implications for emergent hadron mass, spin-dependent baryon structure, electromagnetic form factors and possible multiquark states. A key objective was to identify promising ways to test and understand these correlations. 

Research presentations across career stages

Faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students from INP and elsewhere, all contributed scientific presentations, sharing their work with specialists from different areas of hadron physics.

Prof. Craig D. Roberts delivered the presentation “Emergence and Consequences of Diquark Correlations,” discussing the formation and significance of diquark correlations in hadron structure. INP was also represented by Tenure-track Assistant Professor Minghui Ding and postdoctoral researchers Dr. Hui-Yu Xing and Dr. Abigail Rodrigues Castro, who each contributed a presentation to the workshop’s scientific programme.

From top left to bottom right: Prof. Craig D. Roberts, Assistant Prof. Minghui Ding, Dr. Hui-Yu Xing, and Dr. Abigail Rodrigues Castro.

Graduate students on the international stage

Six INP graduate students presented their research on forefront topics in hadroparticle physics.  Their participation reflects the Institute’s commitment to creating opportunities for young researchers to engage in international scientific dialogue.

From left to right, top row: Dan-Dan Cheng, Ke-Yu Guo, Xin-Yu Bai; bottom row: Xin-Peng Li, Xiang-Yu Zeng, and Yu-Yang Xiao.

Strengthening international research links

Building on its contributions to international workshops in recent years, including the 2024 workshop on "Elucidating the Structure of Nambu-Goldstone Bosons" at the Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science, Stony Brook University, USA, and 7 others since January 2023, INP’s involvement in this meeting further strengthened international collaboration in high-energy nuclear and physics, while complementing its ongoing research activities under the recently approved National Natural Science Foundation of China International Collaboration Fund for Creative Research Teams. The workshop also provided valuable opportunities for young researchers to engage with international experts, fostering long-term partnerships and advancing the internationalization and global academic visibility of the School of Physics and Nanjing University. The workshop benefited from the support of the School of Physics and Nanjing University’s International Affairs Office.

Workshop website: https://indico.ectstar.eu/event/275/