Covariant superstrings do not admit covariant gauge fixing

Preprint, 1984

The covariant action for superstrings is analysed by means of the Dirac method, and the light front action is derived. The action gives rise to second class constraints which cannot be solved for in a covariant way. Covariant gauge fixing, in any conventional sense, cannot be applied, which leaves the question of covariant quantisation of the superstrings open. A similar statement holds for a massless supersymmetric point-particle.