quantum chromodynamics

noun, Physics.

a quantum field theory that describes quarks and gluons and their interactions, with the color of the quarks playing a role analogous to that of electric charge.

Abbreviation: QCD.

Also called chromodynamics.

Compare color (def 18).

Origin

1975-80

British Dictionary definitions for quantum chromodynamics

quantum chromodynamics

noun

(physics) a theory describing the strong interaction in terms of quarks and gluons, with the colour of quarks used as an analogue of charge and the gluon as an analogue of the photon QCD

Word Origin

C20: chromodynamics from chromo- (referring to quark colour) + dynamics, modelled on quantum electrodynamics

quantum chromodynamics in Science

quantum chromodynamics
A quantum field theory of the strong force that explains the interaction between particles with color charge, such as quarks and gluons. In quantum chromodynamics, particles interact through the strong force by exchanging gluons, which are the carriers of the strong force (much as photons are the carriers of the electromagnetic force in quantum electrodynamics). The theory is particularly important in theories of the atomic nucleus, whose nucleons are composed of quarks.