1206.4711 (John P. Ralston)

Where and How to find $susy$: The auxiliary field interpretation of
supersymmetry    [PDF]

John P. Ralston

The {\it gauge hierarchy problem} found in perturbation theory is one of the main attractions for supersymmetry. Yet the quantum mechanical coupling of a low energy system to a high energy one invariably leads to {\it perturbative instability}, which is not a valid signal of dynamical inconsistency. We show by examples how perturbation theory with widely separated scales gives false results. We also identify the flaw in perturbative fine-tuning arguments. Non-perturbative features of random subsystems maintain and preserve the hierarchy in which they are embedded. After reviewing the likelihood the hierarchy problem is a perturbative fiction, we suggest a new interpretation of $susy$ as practical auxiliary fields. Their function is much like Feynman's gauge ghosts, developed in perturbation theory to repair illnesses of perturbation theory. $susy$ will be found useful when it is considered a tool of applied mathematics and data-fitting. We propose that $susy$ data fits should be customized to the particular experimental situations they are suited to improve, without dilution from the needless assumption that $susy$ must describe universal new physics. It is likely that $susy$ will soon be discovered a useful part of data analysis and diagnostics towards improving the understanding of the Standard Model, and possibly towards discovering what may constitute new physics after all.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1206.4711