quantum field theory
KWON-tum FEELD THEE-uh-ree
ˈkwɒntəm fiːld ˈθɪəriListen
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Dictionary meaning
the theoretical framework that combines quantum mechanics with special relativity to describe the behaviour of subatomic particles as excitations of underlying quantum fields that permeate all of space; in quantum field theory, particles are not fundamental objects but localised vibrations in fields — the electron is an excitation of the electron field, the photon of the electromagnetic field; quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and the electroweak theory are all quantum field theories and together constitute the Standard Model of particle physics, whose predictions have been confirmed to extraordinary precision by particle accelerator experiments
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