Perturbative QCD as a quantitative tool in the years 1976-2000

Abstract

This paper traces the development of precision QCD in the years 1976-2000.This is after the discovery of asymptotic freedom, and after the exploration of the simplest processes based on the operator product expansion. The new theoretical tools of factorization, infra-red safety andresummation, needed to make predictions for the colliding beam machines of this era, are described. The role of computer algebra and modern spinor techniques for the calculation of amplitudes and cross sections are briefly reviewed. A selection of important processes calculated at next-to-leading order (or in limited cases beyond next-to-leading order) is presented.

Comments: 25 pages, 8 figures, 2 Tables, Presentation at the 4th International Symposium on the History of Particle Physics, November 2025, v2 corrects typological errors and adds a brief section on parton distribution functions