Opening Address

Abstract

In the last year we had contacts between high energy physics and other fields in mind. This year we decided to deal with a specialized topic, namely gauge theories. Gauge theory aspects have been discussed several times during previous Schladming schools, since these theories have been with us for a long time. In fact, even at the very first Schladming school, which dealt with vector mesons, one has met formulae, which resemble to some extent those, which will be on the screen during this school. The gauge aspect has always been an interesting one, it has, however, in the last years attracted so much interest, that it seemed appropriate to devote a full school to these ideas. As you have seen from the program, there will be a general introduction, we shall deal with QCD (the application of the gauge approach to strong interactions), there will be lectures on lattice type gauge theories, on topological methods and topological charges, connections with supersymmetry, and, last not least, we shall hear about the gauge aspects of gravitation: in fact gravitation theory, which ceases to be the unloved mother in law of Quantum Field theory, offers a lot of interesting aspects in this context.