Partial spontaneous breaking of global supersymmetry

Abstract We review in detail the recently discovered phenomenon of partial spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in the case of a N = 2 pure gauge U(1) theory, and recall how the standard lore no go theorem is evaded. We discuss the extension of this mechanism to theories with charged matter, and surprisingly find that the gauging forbids the existence of a magnetic Fayet-Iliopoulos term.