ABSTRACT
The theory of gauge fields at present represents the widely accepted theoretical basis of elementary particle physics. Indeed, the most elaborate model of field theory, quantum electrodynamics, is a particular case of the gauge theory. Further, models of weak interactions have acquired an elegant and self-consistent formulation in the framework of gauge theories. The phenomenological four-fermion interaction has been replaced by the interaction with an intermediate vector particle, the quantum of the Yang-Mills field. Phenomenological quark models of strong interactions have their most natural foundation in the framework of a gauge theory known as quantum chromodynamics. This theory provides a unique possibility of describing, in the framework of quantum field theory, the phenomenon of asymptotic freedom. The extension of the gauge principle may lead to the gravitational interaction also being placed in the general scheme of Yang-Mills fields.
