  The Joseph ideal in the universal enveloping algebra U(so(m)) is the
annihilator ideal of the so(m)-representation on the harmonic functions on
R^{m-2}. The Joseph ideal for sp(2n) is the annihilator ideal of the
Segal-Shale-Weil (metaplectic) representation. Both ideals can be constructed
in a unified way from a quadratic relation in the tensor algebra of g for g
equal to so(m) or sp(2n). In this paper we construct two analogous ideals in
the tensor algebra of g and U(g) for g the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebra
osp(m|2n)=spo(2n|m) and prove that they have unique characterizations that
naturally extend the classical case. Then we show that these two ideals are the
annihilator ideals of respectively the osp(m|2n)-representation on the
spherical harmonics on R^{m-2|2n} and a generalization of the metaplectic
representation to spo(2n|m). This proves that these ideals are reasonable
candidates to establish the theory of Joseph-like ideals for Lie superalgebras.
We also discuss the relation between the Joseph ideal of osp(m|2n) and the
algebra of symmetries of the super conformal Laplace operator, regarded as an
intertwining operator between principal series representations for osp(m|2n).
