Screening in supersymmetric gauge theories in two dimensions

We show that the string tension in N=1 two-dimensional super Yang-Mills the ory vanishes independently of the representation of the quark anti-quark ex ternal source. We argue that this result persists in SQCD(2) and in two-dim ensional gauge theories with extended supersymmetry or in chiral invariant models with at least one massless dynamical fermion. We also compute the string tension for the massive Schwinger model, as a de monstration of the method of the calculation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V . AU rights reserved.