Comments on anomalies in supersymmetric theories*

Abstract

Abstract We analyse the relation between anomalies in their manifestly supersymmetric formulation in superspace and their formulation in Wess–Zumino (WZ) gauges. We show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the solutions of the cohomology problem in the two formulations and that they are related by a particular choice of a superspace counterterm (‘scheme’). Any apparent violation of Q-supersymmetry is due to an explicit violation by the counterterm which defines the scheme equivalent to the WZ gauge. It is therefore removable.