Theoretical research in elementary particle physics and quantum field theory will focus on predicting the higher -order effects of the weak interaction, and on the question of why quarks and gluons are always confined within larger particles. New experimental facilities at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, have made possible incisive tests of our theory of the weak interaction which center on the higher - order effects predicted by this theory. These tests are a major thrust of current efforts in particle physics. The question of why quarks and gluons are confined is a long - standing one which is difficult to answer because it concerns phenomena in which the strong nuclear force cannot be treated as a small perturbation. Progress on the answer to this question is important if we are to fully comprehend the strong force.
