Hadron physics in magnetic fields

We propose a new approach to exploring relativistic compound systems in an external magnetic field. A relativistic Hamiltonian that includes confinement, one-gluon exchange, and spin–spin interaction has been obtained applying the path integral formalism. The masses of the quark–antiquark states that correspond at zero magnetic field to the $\rho$- and $\pi$-meson and neutron mass have been calculated as a function of the magnetic field. The most interesting phenomena occur in superstrong magnetic fields on the order of $10^{18} - 10^{20}$ G that emerge for a short time in peripheral collisions of relativistic heavy ions.