3. In Search of Supersymmetry

Fermions and Bosons

Fundamental particles can be classified into fermions and bosons, depending on their spins being half-integers (J=1/2,3/2,..) or integers (J=0,1,..), respectively.

Matter particles are fermions.

Force carrying particles (gauge particles) are bosons.

The Higgs particle is also a boson.

If we want to unify all the fundamental particles, we need some symmetry which unifies fermions and bosons. That's supersymmetry.

Symmetry between Fermions and Bosons

If there is supersymmetry in nature, each particle has its supersymmetric partner (superparticle or sparticle) with their spins differing from each other by 1/2.

For instance, there must be spin 0 selectrons corresponding to ordinary spin 1/2 electrons.

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