An introduction to the confinement problem (Q986050)

In present-day theoretical particle physics, the confinement problem is the most outstanding problem attracting even the prestigious Nobel Prizes. The book under review ably addresses this very fascinating problem that generally deals with the behavior of non-abelian gauge theories and the force which is mediated by the gauge fields at large distances. Quarks and gluons appear to be trapped inside hadrons from which they are unable to escape. This as well as other meanings of confinement are treated here in detail. The main \(G\)-problem is not yet fully resolved although much is known by now about the general features thereof. This volume gives both a pedagogical and a concise, correct introduction along with an overview of the main ideas involved in such an important area, their fascinating features as well as some limitations. The book is beautifully produced with special emphasis on the relevance of center symmetry and lattice formulation as well as an introduction to current research on confinement. The chapter titles are: Introduction, global symmetry, local symmetry and the lattice; What is confinement?; Order parameters for \(G\); Properties of confining force; Confinement from center vortices; Monopoles; Coulomb \(G\); Ghosts, gluons, Dyson-Schwinger equations; Large-\(N\), planar diagrams and gluon-chain model; The vacuum wave functional; Anti-de Sitter space and \(G\); Concluding remarks. There is an index of 3 pages. A good number of references are given in Chapters 2 to 13 with plenty of figures, derivations and explanations. Though very brief, the introduction and conclusion parts are excellent, too. The \(G\)-problem is still open and so a large gap will also remain in our ultimate understanding of the strongest of the known fundamental forces in nature.