During the last five decades, Yang-Mills theory, which is undeniably the most important cornerstone of theoretical physics, has expanded widely. It has been investigated from many perspectives, and many new and unexpected features have been uncovered from this theory. In recent decades, apart from high energy physics, the theory has been actively applied in other branches of physics, such as statistical physics, condensed matter physics, nonlinear systems, etc. This makes the theory an indispensable topic for all who are involved in physics.

An international team of experts, each of whom has left his mark on the developments of this remarkable theory, contribute essays or more detailed technical accounts to this volume. These articles highlight the new discoveries from the respective authors� perspectives. The distinguished contributors are: S Adler, F A Bais, C Becchi, M Creutz, A De R�jula, B S DeWitt, F Englert, L D Faddeev, P Hasenfratz, R Jackiw, A Polyakov, V N Popov, R Stora, P van Baal, P van Nieuwenhuizen, S Weinberg, F Wilczek, E Witten, C N Yang. Included in each article are introductory and explanatory remarks by the editor, G 't Hooft, who is himself a major player in the development of Yang-Mills theory.

Contents:

• Quantizing Gauge Field Theories
• Ghosts for Physicists
• Breaking the Symmetry
• Towards the Standard Model
• Renormalization
• Anomalies
• Asymptotic Freedom
• Magnetic Monopoles
• Quark Confinement and Strings
• Fixing in Gauge Condition Non-Perturbatively
• The Lattice
• Fermions on the Lattice
• Confrontation with Experiment
• Supersymmetry and Supergravity
• Physics of the 21st Century

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Readership: All physicists and mathematicians.

"50 Years of Yang-Mills Theory edited by Gerardus 't Hooft is both delightful and deep. It begins with pages written in March 1947 by C N Yang, when he was a graduate student at the University of Chicago. The 1967 Popov and Faddeev Kiev Report is reproduced in translation and the Englert paper on broken symmetry and Yang-Mills Theory appears. �t Hooft's deep insights put the papers into context and I'm sure that I can continually learn more by revisiting this volume."

Professor Gerry Brown SUNY, Stony Brook

"This book provides an excellent historical survey of the development of Yang-Mills theory, written by those most involved in its creation. It also has valuable comments on the present situation, so that it will be useful for current research."

Sir Michael Atiyah Fields Medalist and Honorary Professor of Mathematics University of Edinburgh

"This is a fascinating compilation celebrating the golden jubilee of Yang-Mills theory. The wide range of articles by leading experts on the many aspects of the subject are a reminder of how influential this development has been ... One of the most interesting contributions is an early paper of Faddeev and Popov on the development of perturbation theory for Yang-Mills and gravitational fields, a paper not readily available because they had difficulty publishing it. Another intriguing paper exploring a little-known byway is Stora's, relating gauge-fixing to the algebraic apparatus known as Koszul complexes ... Other highlights include Bais on magnetic monopoles and Witten on gauge-string duality. The book will be of great interest to theorists and experimenters in many fields."

Professor Tom Kibble Imperial College London

"The book is an excellent collection of important articles about the upcoming of gauge theories, which have turned out to be essential for the theoretical description of our universe."

Professor Dr. Harald Fritzsch University of Munich

"It was a brilliant idea to signal the 50th birthday of Yang�Mills theory by gathering together a wide range of articles by leading experts on many aspects of the subject. The result is a most handsome tribute of both historical and current interest, and a substantial addition to the existing literature ...This unusual and elegant festschrift is a treat for theorists."