Strong interaction

The strong interaction or strong force is today understood to represent the interactions
between quarks and gluons as detailed by the theory of quantum chromodynamics
(QCD). The strong force is the fundamental force mediated by gluons, acting upon
quarks, antiquarks, and the gluons themselves.

Although the strong force only acts upon elementary particles directly, the force is
observed between hadrons as the nuclear force. As has been shown by many failed free
quark searches, the elementary particles affected are unobservable directly. This
phenomenon is called confinement, a theory which allows only hadrons to be seen.

History
Before the 1970s, when protons and neutrons were thought to be fundamental particles,
the phrase "strong force" was what is today known as the nuclear force or the residual
strong force. What were being observed were the "residual" effects of the strong force,
which act on hadrons, both baryons and mesons. This force was postulated to overcome
the electric repulsion between protons in the nucleus, and for its strength (at short
distances) it was dubbed the "strong force". After the discovery of quarks, scientists
realized that the force was actually acting upon the quarks and gluons making up the
protons, not the protons themselves. For some time after this realization, the older notion
was referred to as the residual strong force, and the "new" strong interaction was called
colour force.

Details
Quantum chromodynamics, a part of the standard model of particle physics, is a typical
non-Abelian gauge theory based on a local (gauge) symmetry group called SU(3). All the
particles in this theory interact with each other, through the strong force. The strength of
the interaction is parametrized by the strong coupling constant. This strength is, as usual,
modified by the gauge colour charge of the particle. This really refers to a group
theoretical property whose meaning is explained in the article on colour charge. Quarks
and gluons are the only fundamental particles which carry non-vanishing colour charge,
and hence participate in the strong interactions.

See also
• Weak interaction, electromagnetic interaction and gravity
• Standard model of particle physics and its field theoretical formulation.
• Quantum field theory and gauge theory
• Quantum chromodynamics and Quark matter
• Internucleon force and nuclear physics
• Coupling constant
 • Binding energy

References
• Introduction to Elementary Particles, by David J. Griffiths (New York: John Wiley
& Sons, 1987) ISBN 0-471-60386-4

• The Last Sorcerers: The Path from Alchemy to the Periodic Table, by Richard
Morris (Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2003) ISBN 0-309-50593-3

• Gordon L. Kane (1987). Modern Elementary Particle Physics. Perseus Books.

ISBN 0-201-11749-5.

External links
• MISN-0-280: The Strong Interaction (PDF file)