Supersymmetry of a different kind

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel local supersymmetric action in (2+1) dimensions that unifies gravity, electromagnetism, and a Dirac fermion within a Chern-Simons gauge framework, without involving supergravity or gravitinos.

Contribution

It presents a new off-shell invariant supersymmetric model based on the OSp(2|2) gauge group, distinct from traditional supergravity theories.

Findings

Fields are unified in a gauge connection transforming in the adjoint representation.

The model exhibits local gauge supersymmetry without a gravitino or supergravity.

Fermions can acquire mass independently of bosons through geometric coupling.

Abstract

A local supersymmetric action for a (2+1)-dimensional system including gravity, the electromagnetic field and a Dirac spin-1/2 field is presented. The action is a Chern-Simons form for a connection of the OSp(2|2) group. All the fields enter as parts of the connection, that transforms in the adjoint representation of the gauge group. The system is off-shell invariant under local (gauge) supersymmetry. Although the supersymmetry is locally realized, there is no spin-3/2 gravitino, and is therefore not supergravity. The fields do not necessarily form supersymmetric doublets of equal mass, and moreover, the fermion may acquire mass through the coupling with the background geometry, while the bosons --the U(1) field and the spin connection-- remain massless.