Non-commutativity and Supersymmetry

Abstract

We study the extent to which the gauge symmetry of abelian Yang-Mills can be deformed under two conditions: first, that the deformation depend on a two-form scale. Second, that the deformation preserve supersymmetry. We show that (up to a single parameter) the only allowed deformation is the one determined by the star product. We then consider the supersymmetry algebra satisfied by NCYM expressed in commutative variables. The algebra is peculiar since the supercharges are not gauge-invariant. However, the action, expressed in commutative variables, appears to be quadratic in fermions to all orders in theta.