supersymmetry

American  

[soo-per-sim-i-tree] / ˈsu pərˈsɪm ɪ tri /

noun

Physics.

1. a hypothetical symmetry among groups of particles containing fermions and bosons, especially in theories of gravity supergravity that unify electromagnetism, the weak force, and the strong force with gravity into a single unified force.

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supersymmetry British  

/ ˌsuːpəˈsɪmɪtrɪ /

noun

1. physics a symmetry of elementary particles having a higher order than that in the standard model, postulated to encompass the behaviour of both bosons and fermions

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supersymmetry Scientific  

/ so̅o̅′pər-sĭm′ĭ-trē /

1. A theory of physics that states that for each boson (a subatomic particle that carries a fundamental force, such as the photon, which carries the electromagnetic force) there is a corresponding fermion with the same mass. The theory is an attempt to unify the fundamental forces of matter under one theory. Supersymmetry has not been shown to hold in the real world, though some scientists suspect that evidence for it may be found only at extremely high energies; some also believe that certain particles predicted by the theory may make up dark matter.

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Etymology

Origin of supersymmetry

First recorded in 1970–75; super- + symmetry

Example Sentences

None of particles predicted by supersymmetry, a concept that posits a more massive “superpartner” exists for every particle in the standard model.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 27, 2024

Dr. Deser is perhaps best known for his work in the 1970s as one of the pioneers of supergravity, which expanded an idea known as supersymmetry to include gravity.

From New York Times • May 8, 2023

The theoretical concept known as supersymmetry would supply such particles.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 12, 2022

Some of these ideas were later used in the 1980s to develop superstring theory, a version of string theory—in which particles are represented as vibrating one-dimensional objects called “strings”—that incorporates supersymmetry.

From Scientific American • Aug. 6, 2019

Ferrara, Freedman and van Nieuwenhuizen drew inspiration from supersymmetry, an extension of the standard model first proposed in 1973.

From Nature • Aug. 5, 2019