From the representation theory of vertex operator algebras to modular tensor categories in conformal field theory

This is an expository article invited for the ``Commentary'' section of PNAS in connection with Y.-Z. Huang's article, ``Vertex operator algebras, the Verlinde conjecture, and modular tensor categories,'' appearing in the same issue of PNAS. Huang's solution of the mathematical problem of constructing modular tensor categories from the representation theory of vertex operator algebras is very briefly discussed, along with background material. The hypotheses of the theorems entering into the solution are very general, natural and purely algebraic, and have been verified in a wide range of familiar examples, while the theory itself is heavily analytic and geometric as well as algebraic.Comment: latex file, 4 page

Vertex-algebraic structure of the principal subspaces of certain A_1^(1)-modules, I: level one case

This is the first in a series of papers in which we study vertex-algebraic structure of Feigin-Stoyanovsky's principal subspaces associated to standard modules for both untwisted and twisted affine Lie algebras. A key idea is to prove suitable presentations of principal subspaces, without using bases or even ``small'' spanning sets of these spaces. In this paper we prove presentations of the principal subspaces of the basic A_1^(1)-modules. These convenient presentations were previously used in work of Capparelli-Lepowsky-Milas for the purpose of obtaining the classical Rogers-Ramanujan recursion for the graded dimensions of the principal subspaces.Comment: 20 pages. To appear in International J. of Mat

A Quantum Analogue of the Z{\cal Z} Algebra

We define a natural quantum analogue for the ${\cal Z}$ algebra, and which we refer to as the ${\cal Z}_q$ algebra, by modding out the Heisenberg algebra from the quantum affine algebra $U_q(\hat{sl(2)})$ with level $k$. We discuss the representation theory of this ${\cal Z}_q$ algebra. In particular, we exhibit its reduction to a group algebra, and to a tensor product of a group algebra with a quantum Clifford algebra when $k=1$, and $k=2$, and thus, we recover the explicit constructions of \uq-standard modules as achieved by Frenkel-Jing and Bernard, respectively. Moreover, for arbitrary nonzero level $k$, we show that the explicit basis for the simplest ${\cal Z}$-generalized Verma module as constructed by Lepowsky and primc is also a basis for its corresponding ${\cal Z}_q$-module, i.e., it is invariant under the q-deformation for generic q. We expect this ${\cal Z}_q$ algebra (associated with \uq at level $k$), to play the role of a dynamical symmetry in the off-critical $Z_k$ statistical models.Comment: 32 pages, LATEX, minor change

A logarithmic generalization of tensor product theory for modules for a vertex operator algebra

We describe a logarithmic tensor product theory for certain module categories for a ``conformal vertex algebra.'' In this theory, which is a natural, although intricate, generalization of earlier work of Huang and Lepowsky, we do not require the module categories to be semisimple, and we accommodate modules with generalized weight spaces. The corresponding intertwining operators contain logarithms of the variables.Comment: 39 pages. Misprints corrected. Final versio

Vertex-algebraic structure of the principal subspaces of certain A_1^(1)-modules, II: higher level case

We give an a priori proof of the known presentations of (that is, completeness of families of relations for) the principal subspaces of all the standard A_1^(1)-modules. These presentations had been used by Capparelli, Lepowsky and Milas for the purpose of obtaining the classical Rogers-Selberg recursions for the graded dimensions of the principal subspaces. This paper generalizes our previous paper.Comment: 26 pages; v2: minor revisions, to appear in Journal of Pure and Applied Algebr

Nonmeromorphic operator product expansion and C_2-cofiniteness for a family of W-algebras

We prove the existence and associativity of the nonmeromorphic operator product expansion for an infinite family of vertex operator algebras, the triplet W-algebras, using results from P(z)-tensor product theory. While doing this, we also show that all these vertex operator algebras are C_2-cofinite.Comment: 21 pages, to appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Gen.; the exposition is improved and one reference is adde

Logarithmic intertwining operators and W(2,2p-1)-algebras

For every $p \geq 2$, we obtained an explicit construction of a family of $\mathcal{W}(2,2p-1)$-modules, which decompose as direct sum of simple Virasoro algebra modules. Furthermore, we classified all irreducible self-dual $\mathcal{W}(2,2p-1)$-modules, we described their internal structure, and computed their graded dimensions. In addition, we constructed certain hidden logarithmic intertwining operators among two ordinary and one logarithmic $\mathcal{W}(2,2p-1)$-modules. This work, in particular, gives a mathematically precise formulation and interpretation of what physicists have been referring to as "logarithmic conformal field theory" of central charge $c_{p,1}=1-\frac{6(p-1)^2}{p}, p \geq 2$. Our explicit construction can be easily applied for computations of correlation functions. Techniques from this paper can be used to study the triplet vertex operator algebra $\mathcal{W}(2,(2p-1)^3)$ and other logarithmic models.Comment: 22 pages; v2: misprints corrected, other minor changes. Final version to appear in Journal of Math. Phy

An explicit realization of logarithmic modules for the vertex operator algebra W_{p,p'}

By extending the methods used in our earlier work, in this paper, we present an explicit realization of logarithmic \mathcal{W}_{p,p'}-modules that have L(0) nilpotent rank three. This was achieved by combining the techniques developed in \cite{AdM-2009} with the theory of local systems of vertex operators \cite{LL}. In addition, we also construct a new type of extension of $\mathcal{W}_{p,p'}$, denoted by $\mathcal{V}$. Our results confirm several claims in the physics literature regarding the structure of projective covers of certain irreducible representations in the principal block. This approach can be applied to other models defined via a pair screenings.Comment: 18 pages, v2: one reference added, other minor change