Supergravity and Square Roots of Constraints

Abstract

The algebra of the weakly vanishing Hamiltonian generators of localized translations, rotations, and supersymmetry transformations of supergravity theory is found. I argue that supergravity is the square root of ordinary general relativity in the same way as the Dirac equation is the square root of the Klein-Gordon equation and the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz model is the square root of the spinless string.