The Many Faces of Supersymmetry: A Quantitative Approach to the Historical Study of SUSY across Cultures of High-Energy Physics

• In Event: Historical Epistemology of Particle Physics and Quantum Gravity

English Abstract

Since it was first introduced in the 1970s, supersymmetry (SUSY) has played a significant role in high-energy physics (HEP), fostering a variety of research programs such as supergravity, superstrings, and SUSY phenomenology, which have involved thousands of researchers over decades. Praised for its compelling mathematical and aesthetic features, as well as its ability to explain dark matter and the puzzling mass of the Higgs boson, supersymmetry has long been deemed one of the most promising theories beyond the standard model of particles physics, cultivating high hopes for its discovery through large physics experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider. We conduct a quantitative study of supersymmetry research in HEP throughout the years 1980 to 2020 using data from the Inspire HEP database, by carrying out a semantic analysis using topic models, and by inspecting collaborations and citation networks. This analysis demonstrates the relative independence of various "subcultures" within the community, as per Galison's terminology, with each of them inserting different aspects of supersymmetry into their own practice and research tradition. Our methods aim to give insight into the role played by supersymmetry in sustaining unity in the field of HEP despite the variety of commitments of its actors. We argue for the value of such quantitative methods for the field of History of science, not only for their exploratory capabilities, but also for the potential of quantitative modelling guided by historiographic or STS frameworks in explaining historical facts and trends in science.

Author

• Lucas Gautheron, University of Wuppertal