Asymptotic Freedom in Parton Language: the Birth of Perturbative QCD

TL;DR

This paper reviews Giorgio Parisi's pivotal contributions to the development of perturbative QCD, highlighting how his work transformed the theory of strong interactions into a fundamental part of the Standard Model.

Contribution

It details Parisi's early establishment of ideas, methods, and tools that became standard in perturbative QCD, many of which anticipated future developments.

Findings

Established key ideas and methods in perturbative QCD

Anticipated results that became prominent in the 21st century

Contributed to the transition of strong interaction theory into the Standard Model

Abstract

I review the contributions of Giorgio Parisi to perturbative QCD. Concentrated in a decade, they mark the transition of the theory of strong interactions from a set of loosely connected ideas based on models, to a quantum field theory that is now an integral part of the standard model of fundamental interactions. Parisi's contributions have established at a very early stage ideas, methods and tools that are now standard, and in several cases anticipated results that only became prominent in the XXIst century.