Covariant scalar representation of iosp(d,2/2) and quantization of the scalar relativistic particle

A covariant scalar representation of iosp(d, 2/2) is constructed and analysed in comparison with existing BFV-BRST methods for the quantization of the scalar relativistic particle. It is found that, with appropriately defined wavefunctions, this iosp(d, 2/2) produced representation can be identified with the state space arising from the canonical BFV-BRST quantization of the modular-invariant, unoriented scalar particle (or antiparticle) with admissible gauge-fixing conditions. For this model, the cohomological determination of physical states can thus be obtained purely from the representation theory of the iosp(d, 2/2) algebra. © 1996 IOP Publishing Ltd.