In this review paper the QCD vacuum properties and the structure of color fields in hadrons are studied using the complete set of gauge-invariant correlators of gluon fields. Confinement in QCD is produced by the correlators of some certain Lorentz structure, which violate abelian Bianchi identities and therefore are absent in the case of QED. These correlators are used to define an effective colorless field, which satisfies Maxwell equation with nonzero effective magnetic current. With the help of the effective field and correlators it is shown that quarks are confined due to effective magnetic currents, squeezing gluonic fields into a string, in agreement with the ``dual Meissner effect''. Distribution of effective gluonic fields are plotted in mesons, baryons and glueballs with static sources.

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arXiv2003

Adiabatic potentials and spectra of heavy hybrid mesons

Using the QCD string approach the adiabatic potentials and spectra of b\bar b-hybrid mesons are calculated. The results are compared to lattice studies.

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arXiv2003

Triangular and Y-shaped hadrons with static sources

The structure of hadrons consisting of three static color sources in fundamental (baryons) or adjoint (three-gluon glueballs) representations is studied. The static potentials of glueballs as well as gluon field distributions in glueballs and baryons are calculated in the framework of field correlator method.

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arXiv2003

A short distance quark-antiquark potential

Leading terms of the static quark-antiquark potential in the background perturbation theory are reviewed, including perturbative, nonperturbative and interference ones. The potential is shown to describe lattice data at short quark-antiquark separations with a good accuracy.

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arXiv2003

Static potential in baryon

The baryon static potential is calculated in the framework of field correlator method and is shown to match the recent lattice results. The effects of the nonzero value of the gluon correlation length are emphasized.

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arXiv2002

Triangular and Y-shaped hadrons in QCD

Gauge invariant extended configurations are considered for the three fundamental (quarks) or adjoint (gluons) particles. For quarks it is shown that the Y-shaped configuration is the only possible. For adjoint sources both the Y-shaped and triangular configurations may realize. The corresponding static potentials are calculated in the Method of Field Correlators and in the case of baryon shown to be consistent with the lattice simulations. For adjoint sources the potentials of Y-shaped and Delta-shaped configurations turn out to be close to each other, which leads to almost degenerate masses of 3-- 3g glueballs and odderon trajectories.

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arXiv2002

Static potential in baryon in the method of field correlators

The static three-quark potential in arbitrary configuration of quarks is calculated analytically. It is shown to be in a full agreement with the precise numerical simulations in lattice QCD. The results of the work have important application in nuclear physics, as they allow to perform accurate analytic calculations of spectra of the baryons.

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arXiv2002

Hybrid adiabatic potentials in the QCD string model

The short- and intermediate-distance behaviour of the hybrid adiabatic potentials is calculated in the framework of the QCD string model. The calculations are performed with the inclusion of Coulomb force. Spin-dependent force and the so-called string correction term are treated as perturbation at the leading potential-type regime. Reasonably good agreement with lattice measurements takes place for adiabatic curves excited with magnetic components of field strength correlators.

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arXiv2001

Freezing of QCD coupling affects the short distance static potential

A striking contradiction between lattice short range static potential (nf=0) and standard perturbative potential, observed by Bali G.S., is investigated in the framework of the background perturbation theory. With the use of the background coupling which contains the only background parameter - mass mB, fixed by fine structure fit in bottomonium, the lattice data are nicely explained without introduction of exotic short range linear potential with large "string tension" approx. 1 GeV squared. A significant difference between the background coupling and standard perturbative coupling is found in the range 0.05 fm < r<0.15 fm, while at larger distances, r > 0.3 fm the background coupling fast approaches the freezing value. Some problems concerning the strong coupling properties at short and long distances are discussed and solutions are suggested.

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arXiv2001

QCD string model for hybrid adiabatic potentials

Hybrid adiabatic potentials are considered in the framework of the QCD string model. The einbein field formalism is applied to obtain the large-distance behaviour of adiabatic potentials. The calculated excitation curves are shown to be the result of interplay between potential-type longitudinal and string-type transverse vibrations. The results are compared with recent lattice data.

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arXiv2001

Finite temperature correlation functions

Lattice measurements of the Pisa group (A.Di Giacomo et al., hep-lat/9603018) are analyzed numerically and parameters of correlation functions are extracted from the data - both below and above deconfinement temperature Tc. Gluon condensate is found for six temperatures in the interval 0.956 Tc - 1.131 Tc and field distributions in deconfined phase are obtained.

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arXiv2000

Vibrating the QCD string

The large distance behaviour of the adiabatic hybrid potentials is studied in the framework of the QCD string model. The calculated spectra are shown to be the result of interplay between potential-type longitudinal and string-type transverse vibrations.

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arXiv2000

QCD string in mesons and baryons

Field distributions generated by static quark-antiquark and QQQ sources are calculated analytically in the framework of Gaussian (bilocal) approximation of Field Correlator Method (FCM). Special attention is paid to the QQQ system and asymmetric configurations are also studied. In both quark-antiquark and QQQ cases the string consists mainly of longitudinal color electric field. Transverse color electric field contribution is shown to be less then 3%. Baryon string has an Y-like shape with a deep well at the string junction position. Field distributions for quark-diquark and for three quarks on one line are considered. The interaction potential for quarks forming an equilateral triangle is calculated. The material of the paper is illustrated by 24 3D colored pictures.

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arXiv2000

Field distributions in heavy mesons and baryons

Field distributions generated by static quark-antiquark and QQQ sources are calculated analytically in the framework of the Field Correlator Method (FCM) using Gaussian (bilocal) correlator. In both cases the string consists mostly of longitudinal color electric field, while transverse electric field contributes locally less then 3%, in agreement with earlier lattice studies. In the QQQ case the profile of the Y shape was calculated for the first time and found to have a complicated structure with a deep well at the string junction position. Possible consequences of this form for the baryon structure are discussed.

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