Worldsheet supersymmetry

Local supersymmetry on a string worldsheet relates embedding coordinates to their worldsheet Majorana fermion partners. Fixing this fermionic gauge symmetry introduces commuting superconformal ghosts.

For $\delta X=-\overline{ϵ}\psi$ and $\delta \psi ={\rho }^{\alpha }{\partial }_{\alpha }Xϵ$, with constant Grassmann-odd Majorana parameters, the commutator on $X$ is the displayed translation. Set $M={ϵ}_1{\overline{ϵ}}_2-{ϵ}_2{\overline{ϵ}}_1$. In two dimensions $\{{\rho }^{\alpha },M\}=2{\overline{ϵ}}_1{\rho }^{\alpha }{ϵ}_2$ times the identity, so the fermion commutator is the translation minus $M{\rho }^{\alpha }{\partial }_{\alpha }\psi$. The remainder vanishes on the fermion field equation. This distinguishes on-shell closure from the off-shell total-derivative invariance of the action.

The local gauge choice $h_{\mu \nu }=e^{2\omega }{\eta }_{\mu \nu }$ and ${\chi }_{\mu }=0$ for an RNS string. Diffeomorphisms and Weyl symmetry fix the metric, while local supersymmetry and super-Weyl symmetry fix the gravitino. Stress-tensor and supercurrent constraints survive the gauge choice and eliminate longitudinal degrees of freedom. Higher-genus surfaces retain metric and spin-structure moduli.

A local fermionic gauge symmetry shifting the gamma-trace part of the worldsheet gravitino, schematically $\delta {\chi }_{\mu }={\gamma }_{\mu }\rho$. Together with local worldsheet supersymmetry it permits the gravitino to be set to zero locally in superconformal gauge. Global spin structures and moduli still remain.

The worldsheet gravitino is the fermionic vector-spinor gauge field for local worldsheet supersymmetry, paired with the worldsheet metric in two-dimensional supergravity. In a locally supersymmetric string action it couples to the worldsheet supercurrent. Fixing its gauge and the bosonic conformal gauge leaves the usual flat rigid transformations on embeddings and worldsheet Majorana fermions; it should not be silently omitted when claiming an arbitrary curved-worldsheet locally supersymmetric action.

In flat conformal gauge, take $\mathcal{L}=\partial X\cdot \partial X+i{\alpha }^{\prime }\bar{\psi }{\gamma }^{\mu }{\partial }_{\mu }\psi$ and rigid transformations $\delta X=iA\overline{ϵ}\psi$, $\delta \psi =B{\gamma }^{\nu }{\partial }_{\nu }Xϵ$, with $A={\alpha }^{\prime }B$. The Majorana Grassmann bilinear interchange and Clifford algebra combine the variations intoThe identity is off shell. The integrated action is invariant when its boundary flux vanishes, for example on a closed worldsheet or with compatible supersymmetric endpoint conditions. Constant spinors and ordinary derivatives here refer to flat gauge; arbitrary curved worldsheets require covariant spinor derivatives and the locally supersymmetric completion.

Let ${\partial }_{\pm }={\partial }_{\tau }\pm {\partial }_{\sigma }$ and $\mathcal{L}={\partial }_{+}X\cdot {\partial }_{-}X+i{\psi }_1\cdot {\partial }_{+}{\psi }_1+i{\psi }_2\cdot {\partial }_{-}{\psi }_2$. For constant Grassmann-odd parameters, set $\delta X=i({ϵ}_2{\psi }_1-{ϵ}_1{\psi }_2)$, $\delta {\psi }_1=-{ϵ}_2{\partial }_{-}X$, $\delta {\psi }_2={ϵ}_1{\partial }_{+}X$. In the first chiral sector the variation of the fermionic term cancels $i{ϵ}_2{\partial }_{+}{\psi }_1\cdot {\partial }_{-}X$ from the bosonic term, leaving $i{ϵ}_2{\partial }_{-}({\psi }_1\cdot {\partial }_{+}X)$. The second sector gives the other total derivative. This proves off-shell invariance when the boundary flux vanishes. Closure on fermions uses their free equations of motion. A constant parameter must also preserve the chosen boundary conditions and spin structure.

The local rigid worldsheet supersymmetry identity $\delta \mathcal{L}={\partial }_{\mu }{J}^{\mu }$ does not by itself prove preservation of every spin structure. If $X$ is periodic on a spatial circle and $\psi$ is antiperiodic, a constant $ϵ$ gives antiperiodic $\delta X=i\overline{ϵ}\psi$. It does not preserve the bosonic boundary condition. Compatible periodic fields admit the constant transformation; other sectors must be handled with the local superconformal formulation and their global spin data.

The commuting beta-gamma system produced by worldsheet supersymmetry gauge fixing has conformal weights $(3/2,-1/2)$ and central charge $11$ per chiral sector.

Each real chiral fermion has conformal weight $1/2$ and contributes $1/2$ to the central charge. The Ramond sector and Neveu–Schwarz sector differ by periodic versus antiperiodic boundary conditions.

In signature $(-,+)$, choose real gamma matrices ${\gamma }^0=\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& -1\\ 1& 0\end{array}\right)$, ${\gamma }^1=\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& 1\\ 1& 0\end{array}\right)$ and ${\gamma }_{\ast }=-{\gamma }^0{\gamma }^1$. The Dirac equation then gives $({\partial }_{\tau }+{\partial }_{\sigma }){\psi }_{+}=0$ and $({\partial }_{\tau }-{\partial }_{\sigma }){\psi }_{-}=0$. Positive chirality is right-moving and negative chirality is left-moving in this orientation. Reversing the definition of ${\gamma }_{\ast }$ exchanges the labels without changing the physics.