ABSTRACT
By definition, a field theory is said to be supersymmetric’ if its symmetry group coincides with the super Poincare group or includes this supergroup as a subgroup. The family of all supersymmetric field theories forms a subclass in the class of all relativistic field theories. This chapter defines the requirements on a field theory in order for it to be supersymmetric. It presents the dynamical properties of supersymmetric field theories, both at the classical and quantum levels. The chapter is devoted to consideration of classical aspects. The field theories usually considered are local ones. A field theory is said to be ‘local’ if the dynamical equations involve a finite number of time derivatives. The most popular field theories are those in which the dynamical equations are at most second order in time derivatives. In a supersymmetric field theory the space of field histories is a transformation space of the super Poincare group. Superspace makes supersymmetry manifest.
