On a deviation of the precise three flavor symmetry of hadrons from SU(3)F

The celebrated SU(3)(F) symmetry is shown to be inconsistent with the Noether structure of the fundamental electromagnetic current of the udcs-quark quadrupled when considered in the limit of frozen charm degree of freedom. Thus, the lU(3)(F) is found to be replaced by the heavy c-quark limit of SU(2)(ud) x SU(2)(cs) x U(1). The resulting three-flavor symmetry has the merit of being consistent from the very beginning with the OZI rule, and thereby respects the underlying QCD gluon dynamics. The difference between the two symmetries is revealed by the properties of the non-isotriplet part of the neutral axial current. The latter is probed by the eta N coupling. 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.