4 ms·
Just to add for GP’s benefit, QCD is monstrously complex, like electric charge x 3, which explains why the achievement would be so enormous.
by QAPereo 9y ago
Just to add for GP’s benefit, QCD is monstrously complex, like electric charge x 3, which explains why the achievement would be so enormous.
- davrosthedalek 9y agoYeah, the real problem is that the theory is mostly non-perturbative, i.e. it's hard to phrase the theory as a power series. The underlying reason is that gluons can self-interact.
- jessriedel 9y agoNot just self-interact, but self-interact strongly. Photons can self-interact too, through intermediate charged particles, but do so much less often.
- QAPereo 9y agoTo be fair, the photon self-interaction is usually negligible (barring the right medium and high energies), while for gluons it’s most of the story. Unless you’re looking at exotic situations, photons are well behaved, but gluons are many flavors of pain.