This volume is devoted to different facets of QCD, stressing non-perturbative, analytic and lattice formulations, scattering solutions and approximations, and the understanding of recent RHIC experiments. It discusses ideas of the fifth dimension, originating in brane theory, as well as possible experimental tests and predictions of those ideas.

The Workshop N* Physics and non-perturbative QeD was held at the Eu ropean Center for Theoretical Studies and Related Areas (ECT*) in Trento, Italy, during May 18-29, 1998. Previous workshops of the series on N* Physics took place at the Florida State University (1994), at CEBAF (1995), at the Institute for Nuclear Theory in Seattle (1996) and at the George Washington University (1997). The Workshop was devoted to a summary of recent experimental and the oretical research on N* phsyics and special emphasis was given to the infor mation that photo-and electro-production of nucleon resonances can provide on the non-perturbative regime of Quantum Chromodynamics. The idea was to stimulate discussions among experimentalists and theoreticians in order to pursue the interpretation of the huge amount of forthcoming data from several laboratories in the world. It was therefore decided to have both experimental and theoretical lectures on the main topics, like ,among the others, single and double pion production, TJ-and K-meson production, the GDH sum rule, the spin of the proton, etc. Thanks to the unusual two-week extension of the Work shop, the allotted time for the lectures was extended up to one hour in order to allow the invited lecturers to give a detailed presentation of their topics. Fi nally, various short contributions were selected to sharpen the discussion about selected items.

Contents: Basic Concepts and Consequences of Stochastic Vacuum Model (H G Dosch)Variational Approximations for Correlation Functions in Quantum Field Theories (C Martin)SU(2) Gauge Theory in Covariant (Maximal) Abelian Gauges (M Schaden)The Vacuum Wave Function in Supersymmetric Matrix Theory (C M Sommerfield)HERA Results on Elastic Hadronic and Sub-Hadronic Diffraction (G Knies)Deriving Effective Transport Equations for Non-Abelian Plasmas (D F Litim)Aspects of Non-Commutativity in ADS/CFT (A Jevicki)Thermal Field Theory in Equilibrium (J O Andersen)Puzzling Aspects of Hot Quantum Fields (T Grandou)DIS Results from HERA (C M Ginsburg)Electroproduction of Vector Mesons (T Teubner)New Developments in Cosmology (J W Moffat)Heavy-Light Physics from Lattice NRQCD (T Onogi)Non-Relativistic Effective Theory for Perturbative Heavy Quark-Antiquark Systems (A H Hoang)The Spin Dependence of Swift Proton Collisions (N H Buttimore)Numerical Investigation of Domain-Wall QCD on CP-PACS (S Aoki)When is It Possible to Use Perturbation Technique in Field Theory? (T N Truong)and other papers Readership: Researchers in high energy physics. Keywords:

Proceedings of a NATO ASI and Isaac Newton Institute Workshop held in Cambridge, UK, June 23-July 4, 1997

This book addresses the confinement problem, which quite generally deals with the behavior of non-abelian gauge theories, and the force which is mediated by gauge fields, at large distances. The word “confinement” in the context of hadronic physics originally referred to the fact that quarks and gluons appear to be trapped inside mesons and baryons, from which they cannot escape. There are other, and possibly deeper meanings that can be attached to the term, and these will be explored in this book. Although the confinement problem is far from solved, much is now known about the general features of the confining force, and there are a number of very well motivated theories of confinement which are under active investigation. This volume gives a both pedagogical and concise introduction and overview of the main ideas in this field, their attractive features, and, as appropriate, their shortcomings.