  We present the first nucleon-nucleon potential at
next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (fourth order) of chiral perturbation
theory. Charge-dependence is included up to next-to-leading order of the
isospin-violation scheme. The accuracy for the reproduction of the NN data
below 290 MeV lab. energy is comparable to the one of phenomenological
high-precision potentials. Since NN potentials of order three and less are
known to be deficient in quantitative terms, the present work shows that the
fourth order is necessary and sufficient for a reliable NN potential derived
from chiral effective Lagrangians. The new potential provides a promising
starting point for exact few-body calculations and microscopic nuclear
structure theory (including chiral many-body forces derived on the same
footing).
