The concept of supersymmetry from "summary" of The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene
Supersymmetry is a theoretical concept that suggests a deep connection between two seemingly distinct types of particles in the universe: fermions and bosons. While fermions are the building blocks of matter and make up everything we see around us, bosons are the carriers of force and govern the interactions between particles. In the world of supersymmetry, every fermion has a boson partner, and vice versa. These partners are known as superpartners, and they are thought to have the same mass and internal properties as their corresponding particle. This idea of symmetry suggests that each particle in the Standard Model of particle physics has a superpartner, forming a symmetrical relationship between matter and force carriers. The presence of supersymmetry would provide a solution to many unanswered questions in physics, such as the hierarchy problem and the nature of dark matter. By introducing superpartners, the theory helps to stabilize the mass of the Higgs boson and offers a candidate for dark matter in the form of the lightest superpartner, known as the neutralino. Despite its theoretical elegance and potential implications for our understanding of the universe, supersymmetry has yet to be experimentally confirmed. Physicists have been searching for evidence of superpartners at particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider, but so far, no direct observations have been made. While the lack of experimental verification is a challenge for the concept of supersymmetry, many researchers remain hopeful that future experiments will reveal the existence of superpartners. If confirmed, supersymmetry would revolutionize our understanding of particle physics and provide a more complete picture of the fundamental forces and particles that govern the universe.
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