Lectures on Heavy Quarks in Quantum Chromodynamics

Abstract

A pedagogical introduction to the heavy quark theory is given. It is explained that various expansions in the inverse heavy quark mass $1/m_Q$ present a version of the Wilson operator product expansion in QCD. A systematic approach is developed and many practically interesting problems are considered. I show how the $1/m_Q$ expansions can be built using the background field technique and how they work in particular applications. Interplay between perturbative and nonperturbative aspects of the heavy quark theory is discussed.