In
particle physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
, a superpartner (also sparticle) is a class of hypothetical
elementary particle
In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a subatomic particle that is not composed of other particles. Particles currently thought to be elementary include electrons, the fundamental fermions ( quarks, leptons, ...
s predicted by
supersymmetry
In a supersymmetric theory the equations for force and the equations for matter are identical. In theoretical and mathematical physics, any theory with this property has the principle of supersymmetry (SUSY). Dozens of supersymmetric theories ...
, which, among other applications, is one of the well-studied ways to extend the
standard model
The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It ...
of
high-energy physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) a ...
.
When considering extensions of the
Standard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It ...
, the ''s-'' prefix from ''sparticle'' is used to form names of superpartners of the Standard Model
fermion
In particle physics, a fermion is a particle that follows Fermi–Dirac statistics. Generally, it has a half-odd-integer spin: spin , spin , etc. In addition, these particles obey the Pauli exclusion principle. Fermions include all quarks and ...
s (
sfermions
In supersymmetric extension to the Standard Model (SM) of physics, a sfermion is a hypothetical spin-0 superpartner particle (sparticle) of its associated fermion. Each particle has a superpartner with spin that differs by . Fermions in the SM ...
),
[Alexander I. Studenikin (ed.), ''Particle Physics in Laboratory, Space and Universe'', World Scientific, 2005, p. 327.] e.g. the
stop squark
In particle physics, a stop squark, symbol , is the superpartner of the top quark as predicted by supersymmetry (SUSY). It is a sfermion, which means it is a spin-0 boson (scalar boson). While the top quark is the heaviest known quark, the stop ...
. The superpartners of Standard Model
bosons
In particle physics, a boson ( ) is a subatomic particle whose spin quantum number has an integer value (0,1,2 ...). Bosons form one of the two fundamental classes of subatomic particle, the other being fermions, which have odd half-integer spi ...
have an ''-ino'' (bosinos)
[ appended to their name, e.g. ]gluino In supersymmetry, a gluino (symbol ) is the hypothetical supersymmetric partner of a gluon.
In supersymmetric theories, gluinos are Majorana fermions and interact via the strong force as a color octet. Gluinos have a lepton number 0, baryon number ...
, the set of all gauge superpartners are called the gauginos.
Theoretical predictions
According to the supersymmetry
In a supersymmetric theory the equations for force and the equations for matter are identical. In theoretical and mathematical physics, any theory with this property has the principle of supersymmetry (SUSY). Dozens of supersymmetric theories ...
theory, each fermion
In particle physics, a fermion is a particle that follows Fermi–Dirac statistics. Generally, it has a half-odd-integer spin: spin , spin , etc. In addition, these particles obey the Pauli exclusion principle. Fermions include all quarks and ...
should have a partner boson
In particle physics, a boson ( ) is a subatomic particle whose spin quantum number has an integer value (0,1,2 ...). Bosons form one of the two fundamental classes of subatomic particle, the other being fermions, which have odd half-integer spi ...
, the fermion's superpartner, and each boson should have a partner fermion. Exact ''unbroken'' supersymmetry would predict that a particle and its superpartners would have the same mass. No superpartners of the Standard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It ...
particles have yet been found. This may indicate that supersymmetry is incorrect, or it may also be the result of the fact that supersymmetry is not an exact, ''unbroken'' symmetry of nature. If superpartners are found, their masses would indicate the scale at which supersymmetry is broken.axion
An axion () is a hypothetical elementary particle postulated by the Peccei–Quinn theory in 1977 to resolve the strong CP problem in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). If axions exist and have low mass within a specific range, they are of interest ...
), there is a fermion superpartner as well as a second, real scalar field. For axions, these particles are often referred to as axinos and saxions.
In extended supersymmetry there may be more than one superparticle for a given particle. For instance, with two copies of supersymmetry in four dimensions, a photon would have two fermion superpartners and a scalar superpartner.
In zero dimensions it is possible to have supersymmetry, but no superpartners. However, this is the only situation where supersymmetry does not imply the existence of superpartners.
Recreating superpartners
If the supersymmetry theory is correct, it should be possible to recreate these particles in high-energy particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams.
Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...
s. Doing so will not be an easy task; these particles may have masses up to a thousand times greater than their corresponding "real" particles.Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundr ...
at CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gen ...
might produce evidence for the existence of superpartner particles.
See also
* Chargino
*Gluino In supersymmetry, a gluino (symbol ) is the hypothetical supersymmetric partner of a gluon.
In supersymmetric theories, gluinos are Majorana fermions and interact via the strong force as a color octet. Gluinos have a lepton number 0, baryon number ...
– as a superpartner of the Gluon
* Gravitino – as a superpartner of the hypothetical graviton
*Higgsino
In particle physics, for models with N=1 supersymmetry a higgsino, symbol , is the superpartner of the Higgs field. A higgsino is a Dirac fermionic field with spin and it refers to a weak isodoublet with hypercharge half under the Standard Mo ...
– as a superpartner of the Higgs Field
*Neutralino
In supersymmetry, the neutralino is a hypothetical particle. In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), a popular model of realization of supersymmetry at a low energy, there are four neutralinos that are fermions and are electrically ...
References
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Supersymmetric quantum field theory
Particle physics