Supersymmetric quantum mechanics

Supersymmetry (SUSY), in the context of elementary particle physics, is a symmetry which relates fermions and bosons. In the past few years, it has been hoped that supersymmetric theories would not only provide a consistent quantum theory of gravity, but also unify it with all the other known forces of nature. Unfortunately, there is so far no experimental evidence for the many new physical particles predicted by SUSY. However, in the meantime, applications of SUSY have been found in other areas like nuclear and condensed matter physics. The purpose of this article is to report these developments, since they are elegant, appealing and yet rather simple, so that any student of quantum mechanics should be able to understand and appreciate them. (author). 15 refs., 3 tabs., 8 figs