Supersymmetric Theories on a Non Simply Connected Space-Time

Abstract

We study the Wess-Zumino theory on ${\bf R}^3 \times S^1$ where a spatial coordinate is compactified. We show that when the bosonic and fermionic fields satisfy the same boundary condition, the theory does not develop a vacuum energy or tadpoles. We work out the two point functions at one loop and show that their forms are consistent with the nonrenormalization theorem. However, the two point functions are nonanalytic and we discuss the structure of this nonanalyticity.