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quantum electrodynamics

noun Physics.

the quantum field theory that deals with the electromagnetic field and its interaction with electrons and positrons. Abbreviation: QED

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Nearby words

  1. quantum chemistry,
  2. quantum chromodynamics,
  3. quantum computer,
  4. quantum cryptography,
  5. quantum efficiency,
  6. quantum electronics,
  7. quantum field theory,
  8. quantum flavourdynamics,
  9. quantum gravity,
  10. quantum jump

Origin of quantum electrodynamics

First recorded in 1925–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for quantum electrodynamics

quantum electrodynamics

noun

physics a relativistic quantum mechanical theory concerned with electromagnetic interactionsAbbreviation: QED
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for quantum electrodynamics

quantum electrodynamics

A quantum field theory of electromagnetism that explains the interactions between electrically charged particles and photons. According to quantum electrodynamics, charged particles interact with one other by emitting or absorbing photons, which are the carriers of the electromagnetic force. Quantum electrodynamics correctly predicts such phenomena as the structure of atoms, and the creation and annihilation of particles (for example, when matter and antimatter collide). Quantum electrodynamics is one of the most well-tested, accurate, and successful theories in physics.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.