We study the role of direct (i.e., small-scale) instantons in QCD correlation functions for the nucleon. They generate sizable nonperturbative corrections to the conventional operator product expansion, which improve the quality of both QCD nucleon sum rules and cure the long-standing stability problem, in particular, of the chirally odd sum rule.

• Received 25 March 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.484