QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
arXiv:hep-ph/9505231
Abstract
These lectures provide an overview of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the $SU(3)_C$ gauge theory of the strong interactions. After briefly reviewing the empirical considerations which lead to the introduction of {\it colour}, the QCD Lagrangian is discussed. The running of the strong coupling and the associated property of {\it Asymptotic Freedom} are analyzed. Some selected experimental tests and the present knowledge of $α_s$ are summarized. A short description of the QCD flavour symmetries and the {\it dynamical breaking of chiral symmetry} is also given.
LaTeX, 51 pages, 32 figures (included in separate .uu file) Lectures at the 1994 European School of High-Energy Physics (Sorrento, 1994)