In August 1999, experimental evidence for the occurrence of supersymmetry in nuclei was reported (A. Metz et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1542 (1999)). In this talk, the concept of dynamical supersymmetry will be introduced and the series of events that led to the recent discovery will be presented. Supersymmetry is one of the most fundamental types of symmetries that one can encounter in nature. Its experimental verification in nuclear physics, has major implications to other fields of physics, such as particle physics where supersymmetry has been sought for years and condensed matter physics, where it has been recently suggested that supersymmetry may play a role in high-Tc superconductivity (cuprate materials) (F. Iachello, Phil. Mag. Lett. 82, 289 (2002)). These implications will be briefly reviewed.

ANL Physics Division Colloquium Schedule