quantum chromodynamics

American  

noun

Physics.

1. 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. QCD

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quantum chromodynamics British  

noun

1.  QCD.  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

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quantum chromodynamics Scientific  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of quantum chromodynamics

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

To tackle the problem, the researchers relied on lattice quantum chromodynamics, a computational technique that simulates the strong force using enormous supercomputers.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

You are not elbowing your way onstage at a lecture on quantum chromodynamics.

From Washington Post • Sep. 22, 2022

The program relies on volunteer mentors, and Hall says he’s careful to make sure the 10 hours or so a week he spends coordinating their activities doesn’t interfere with his work on lattice quantum chromodynamics.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 1, 2022

In 1965, working with Moo-Young Han, now at Duke University, he developed the forerunner of the modern theory of quantum chromodynamics, which accounts for the nuclear forces that bind protons and neutrons into atomic nuclei.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2015

This is of course completely false simply based on the everyday work of the majority of the world’s physicists which has nothing to do with quantum chromodynamics and Higgs bosons.

From Scientific American • Jan. 22, 2014