H. David Politzer

H. David Politzer is an American theoretical physicist known for his pioneering work in quantum field theory, particularly quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which is the theory of strong interactions among quarks and gluons, the fundamental particles that make up protons and neutrons. In the 1970s, he co-developed the concept of "asymptotic freedom," which describes how quarks behave closely together, becoming free from each other at high energy levels. This groundbreaking insight helped explain why protons and neutrons exist within atomic nuclei, and Politzer's contributions were recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004.