Supersymmetry

SUPERSYMMETRY (16 lectures)

Dr. G. Weiglein

The aim of this course is to give a basic introduction to the main ideas and motivations for supersymmetry (SUSY). The main aim is to learn how to construct supersymmetric Lagrangians and to investigate the phenomenology of the corresponding theories. The case of an N=1 (only one SUSY generator) SUSY is studied in detail. The properties of N > 1 extended supersymmetries are briefly discussed and compared with the N=1 case. In order to eventually arrive at a realistic model, SUSY has to be broken without destroying all of its nice features. This leads to the concept of soft SUSY breaking. The first part of the course concludes with a discussion of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) being a theoretically well motivated and phenomenologically viable scenario of physics beyond the Standard Model.

In the second part of the course, SUSY breaking is discussed in more detail. After summarising the phenomenological constraints on SUSY breaking terms, spontaneous SUSY breaking (F-term and D-term breaking) is studied. The consequences of making the supersymmetry local, which leads to the theory of supergravity, are investigated. Different models for SUSY breaking are discussed, in particular gravity and gauge mediated SUSY breaking. The course ends with a discussion of various properties of SUSY theories, e.g. gauge coupling unification, the upper bound on the lightest Higgs boson mass in the MSSM, and the role of the lightest SUSY particle as a candidate for cold dark matter in the Universe.

Outline of course

Symmetries, the N=1 supersymmetry algebra, extended supersymmetry, superspace and superfields, supersymmetric gauge theories, breaking of supersymmetry, the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM), elementary supergravity, gravity and gauge mediated breaking of supersymmetry, phenomenology of the MSSM and some of its extensions.

Lecture notes

Part1

Part2

Part3

Literature

M. Drees, R. Godbole and P. Roy, Theory and Phenomenology of Sparticles (WSP), 2005

D. Bailin and A. Love, Supersymmetric Gauge Field Theory and String Theory (IoP)

J. Wess and J. Bagger, Supersymmetry and Supergravity (PUP)

M. Sohnius, Introducing Supersymmetry (Phys. Rep. 128 (1985) 39)

M. Drees, An Introduction to Supersymmetry (hep-ph/9611409)

O. Piguet, Introduction to Supersymmetric Gauge Theories (hep-th/9710095)

S.P. Martin, A Supersymmetry Primer (In: Perspectives on Supersymmetry, ed. G. Kane, World Scientific 1998; or: hep-ph/9709356)

N. Polonsky, Supersymmetry: Structure and Phenomena (hep-ph/0108236)

Excercises

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