The static potential in quantum chromodynamics

Abstract

The static potential between a heavy quark and antiquark in quantum chromodynamics is analyzed in the weak coupling expansion. At the one loop level, a physical explanation of asymptotic freedom is offered. In higher orders, the problem of separating an effectively instantaneous two body potential from iterations of the potential and from multiparticle (⩾3) configurations is discussed. Scaling properties of the potential are studied and some phenomenological observations are made.