  A nuclear model is proposed where the nucleons interact by emitting and
absorbing mesons, and where the mesons are treated explicitly. A nucleus in
this model finds itself in a quantum superposition of states with different
number of mesons. Transitions between these states hold the nucleus together.
  The model---in its simplest incarnation---is applied to the deuteron, where
the latter becomes a superposition of a neutron-proton state and a
neutron-proton-meson state. Coupling between these states leads to an effective
attraction between the nucleons and results in a bound state with negative
energy, the deuteron. The model is able to reproduce the accepted values for
the binding energy and the charge radius of the deuteron.
  The model, should it work in practice, has several potential advantages over
the existing non-relativistic few-body nuclear models: the reduced number of
model parameters, natural inclusion of few-body forces, and natural inclusion
of mesonic physics.
