Witten index for weak supersymmetric systems: invariance under deformations

Abstract

When a $4D$ supersymmetric theory is placed on $S^3 \times \mathbb{R}$, the supersymmetric algebra is necessarily modified to $su(2|1)$ and we are dealing with a weak supersymmetric system. For such systems, the excited states of the Hamiltonian are not all paired. As a result, the Witten index Tr$\{(-1)^F e^{-\beta H}\}$ is no longer an integer number, but a $\beta$-dependent function. However, this function stays invariant under deformations of the theory that keep the supersymmetry algebra intact. Based on the Hilbert space analysis, we give a simple general proof of this fact. We then show how this invariance works for two simplest weak supersymmetric quantum mechanical systems involving a real or a complex bosonic degree of freedom.