High energy particle physics theorists are disappointed and even dismayed that the Large Hadron Collider has shown up nothing beyond the Standard Model Higgs. Their favorite "Beyond Standard Model" physics, based on an idea called supersymmetry (SUSY) has not shown even a tiny hint of existing. Over on "Not Even Wrong", Peter Woit asked "“Is there any forseeable experimental data that would cause you to decide that SUSY was an idea that should be abandoned?”
Urs Schreiber gave a logical answer as to why physicists might think SUSY is relevant to physics - not just in a technical sense where it can make some computations tractable - but as a part of reality. You can follow the link (or see below the fold).
So, I thought that Woit's question was answered. Nothing but a mathematical theorem with a proof will serve to end the SUSY quest. Namely, something like:
On a side note, Charles Darwin, around the time of spelling out his theory of evolution, also wrote: "It is mere rubbish thinking at present of the origin of life-- one might as well think of the origin of matter." This is because he knew that the problem of the origin of life was well beyond the reach of the science of his time. Particle physics theorists, however, have believed for about forty years that a complete description of fundamental physics is within their grasp. Nature has proven to be rather elusive.
Urs Schreiber gave a logical answer as to why physicists might think SUSY is relevant to physics - not just in a technical sense where it can make some computations tractable - but as a part of reality. You can follow the link (or see below the fold).
So, I thought that Woit's question was answered. Nothing but a mathematical theorem with a proof will serve to end the SUSY quest. Namely, something like:
"Nature chose to have an ordinary group act on the supermanifold" because:
1. Using a supergroup on the supermanifold implies a necessary feature in the low energy theory that our observed low energy world lacks; or
2. Our low energy world has an observed feature that the use of a supergroup on the supermanifold cannot reproduce; or else,
3. Using a supergroup on a supermanifold produces a high-energy theory that fails for some reason (without even considering the low energy world).
Since the question is: “Is there any foreseeable experimental data that would cause you to decide that SUSY was an idea that should be abandoned?”", (3.) above need not concern us here. The Higgs as detected by the LHC, with nothing super- accompanying it, does not quite fall into either 1. or 2. without additional assumptions.Woit didn't like that answer and deleted it.
Therefore the SUSY search will continue.
On a side note, Charles Darwin, around the time of spelling out his theory of evolution, also wrote: "It is mere rubbish thinking at present of the origin of life-- one might as well think of the origin of matter." This is because he knew that the problem of the origin of life was well beyond the reach of the science of his time. Particle physics theorists, however, have believed for about forty years that a complete description of fundamental physics is within their grasp. Nature has proven to be rather elusive.
