Asymptotic freedom is a property of some gauge theories, particularly quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which is the theory describing the strong interaction—the force that binds quarks and gluons into protons, neutrons, and other hadrons. The concept refers to the behavior of the coupling constant (which measures the strength of the interaction) as the energy scale of the interaction changes.
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An asymptotically free theory has a running coupling that tends to zero at arbitrarily high energy. Its negative weak-coupling beta function makes short-distance perturbation theory increasingly accurate.