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 of quantum chromodynamics
First recorded in 1975–80
Words nearby quantum chromodynamics
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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
Abbreviation: QCD
Word Origin for quantum chromodynamics
C20:
chromodynamics from
chromo- (referring to quark colour) +
dynamics, modelled on
quantum electrodynamics
Scientific definitions for quantum chromodynamics
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.