GENERALIZATION OF THE COLEMAN-MANDULA THEOREM TO HIGHER DIMENSION

The Coleman-Mandula theorem, which states that space-time and internal symmetries cannot be combined in any but a trivial way, is generalize d to an arbitrarily higher spacelike dimension. Prospects for further generalizations of the theorem (spacelike representations, larger time like dimension, infinite number of particle types) are also discussed. The original proof relied heavily on the Dirac formalism, which was n ot well defined mathematically at that time. The proof given here is b ased on the rigorous version of the Dirac formalism, based on the theo ry of distributions. This work also serves to demonstrate the suitabil ity of this formalism for practical applications. (C) 1997 American In stitute of Physics.