Almost all theories of fundamental interactions are nowadays based on the gauge concept. Starting with the historical example of quantum electrodynamics, we have been led to the successful unified gauge theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions, and finally to a non abelian gauge theory of strong interactions with the notion of permanently confined quarks. The. early theoretical work on gauge theories was devoted to proofs of renormalizability, investigation of short distance behaviour, the discovery of asymptotic freedom, etc . ., aspects which were accessible to tools extrapolated from renormalised perturbation theory. The second phase of the subject is concerned with the problem of quark confinement which necessitates a non-perturbative understanding of gauge theories. This phase has so far been marked by the introduc tion of ideas from geometry, topology and statistical mechanics in particular the theory of phase transitions. The 1979 Cargese Institute on "Recent Developments on Gauge Theories" was devoted to a thorough discussion of these non-perturbative, global aspects of non-abelian gauge theories. In the lectures and seminars reproduced in this volume the reader wilf find detailed reports on most of the important developments of recent times on non perturbative gauge fields by some of the leading experts and innovators in this field. Aside from lectures on gauge fields proper, there were lectures on gauge field concepts in condensed matter physics and lectures by mathematicians on global aspects of the calculus of variations, its relation to geometry and topology, and related topics."

The importance of gauge theory for elementary particle physics is by now firmly established. Recent experiments have yielded con vincing evidence for the existence of intermediate bosons, the carriers of the electroweak gauge force, as well as for the presence of gluons, the carriers of the strong gauge force, in hadronic inter actions. For the gauge theory of strong interactions, however, a number of important theoretical problems remain to be definitely resolved. They include the quark confinement problem, the quantita tive study of the hadron mass spectrum as well as the role of topo logy in quantum gauge field theory. These problems require for their solution the development and application of non-perturbative methods in quantum gauge field theory. These problems, and their non-pertur bative analysis, formed the central interest of the 1983 Cargese summer institute on "Progress in Gauge Field Theory. " In this sense it was a natural sequel to the 1919 Cargese summer institute on "Recent Developments in Gauge Theories. " Lattice gauge theory provides a systematic framework for the investigation of non-perturbative quantum effects. Accordingly, a large number of lectures dealt with lattice gauge theory. Following a systematic introduction to the subject, the renormalization group method was developed both as a rigorous tool for fundamental questions, and in the block-spin formulation, the computations by Monte Carlo programs. A detailed analysis was presented of the problems encountered in computer simulations. Results obtained by this method on the mass spectrum were reviewed."

30 von renommierten Experten verfasste Essayartikel liefern einen integrierenden Aoeberblick A1/4ber einzelne Fachgebiete und Aspekte der Physik oder widmen sich aktuellen Forschungsgebieten. Das Themengebiet reicht dabei von der Teilchenphysik A1/4ber Fullerene und Biophysik bis hin zur Bose-Einstein-Kondensation und Quanteninformatik. Die Faszination Physik richtet sich an Studierende der Physik und an alle, die sich fA1/4r Experimente und Erkenntnisse in der Physik begeistern kAnnen und will explizit zum SchmAkern und ausfA1/4hrlichen Nachlesen einladen. Katja Bammel, fertigte ihre Diplomarbeit am Max-Planck-Institut fA1/4r StrAmungsphysik in GAttingen an und promovierte an der FU Berlin. Seit 1999 lebt sie mit ihrer Familie in Cagliari (Italien) und arbeitet als freie Wissenschaftsjournalistin. Erste Erfahrungen in diesem Bereich sammelte sie schon zuvor als Autorin fA1/4r Lexikon der Physik. Seitdem wirkte sie an weiteren Nachschlagwerken wie Der Brockhaus Naturwissenschaft und Technik und dem Lexikon bedeutender Naturwissenschaftler mit. Neben zahlreichen Erfahrungen als Autorin fA1/4r verschiedene Online-Wissenschaftsinformationsdienste, verfasste sie auch einige Artikel fA1/4r das Physik Journal.