Two-Dimensional Conformal Geometry and Vertex Operator Algebras


Book Description

The theory of vertex operator algebras and their representations has been showing its power in the solution of concrete mathematical problems and in the understanding of conceptual but subtle mathematical and physical struc- tures of conformal field theories. Much of the recent progress has deep connec- tions with complex analysis and conformal geometry. Future developments, especially constructions and studies of higher-genus theories, will need a solid geometric theory of vertex operator algebras. Back in 1986, Manin already observed in Man) that the quantum theory of (super )strings existed (in some sense) in two entirely different mathematical fields. Under canonical quantization this theory appeared to a mathematician as the representation theories of the Heisenberg, Vir as oro and affine Kac- Moody algebras and their superextensions. Quantization with the help of the Polyakov path integral led on the other hand to the analytic theory of algebraic (super ) curves and their moduli spaces, to invariants of the type of the analytic curvature, and so on.He pointed out further that establishing direct mathematical connections between these two forms of a single theory was a big and important problem. On the one hand, the theory of vertex operator algebras and their repre- sentations unifies (and considerably extends) the representation theories of the Heisenberg, Virasoro and Kac-Moody algebras and their superextensions.




Vertex Algebras and Algebraic Curves


Book Description

Vertex algebras are algebraic objects that encapsulate the concept of operator product expansion from two-dimensional conformal field theory. Vertex algebras are fast becoming ubiquitous in many areas of modern mathematics, with applications to representation theory, algebraic geometry, the theory of finite groups, modular functions, topology, integrable systems, and combinatorics. This book is an introduction to the theory of vertex algebras with a particular emphasis on the relationship with the geometry of algebraic curves. The notion of a vertex algebra is introduced in a coordinate-independent way, so that vertex operators become well defined on arbitrary smooth algebraic curves, possibly equipped with additional data, such as a vector bundle. Vertex algebras then appear as the algebraic objects encoding the geometric structure of various moduli spaces associated with algebraic curves. Therefore they may be used to give a geometric interpretation of various questions of representation theory. The book contains many original results, introduces important new concepts, and brings new insights into the theory of vertex algebras. The authors have made a great effort to make the book self-contained and accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Reviewers of the first edition anticipated that it would have a long-lasting influence on this exciting field of mathematics and would be very useful for graduate students and researchers interested in the subject. This second edition, substantially improved and expanded, includes several new topics, in particular an introduction to the Beilinson-Drinfeld theory of factorization algebras and the geometric Langlands correspondence.




From Vertex Operator Algebras to Conformal Nets and Back


Book Description

The authors consider unitary simple vertex operator algebras whose vertex operators satisfy certain energy bounds and a strong form of locality and call them strongly local. They present a general procedure which associates to every strongly local vertex operator algebra V a conformal net AV acting on the Hilbert space completion of V and prove that the isomorphism class of AV does not depend on the choice of the scalar product on V. They show that the class of strongly local vertex operator algebras is closed under taking tensor products and unitary subalgebras and that, for every strongly local vertex operator algebra V, the map W↦AW gives a one-to-one correspondence between the unitary subalgebras W of V and the covariant subnets of AV.




Vertex Operator Algebras in Mathematics and Physics


Book Description

Vertex operator algebras are a class of algebras underlying a number of recent constructions, results, and themes in mathematics. These algebras can be understood as ''string-theoretic analogues'' of Lie algebras and of commutative associative algebras. They play fundamental roles in some of the most active research areas in mathematics and physics. Much recent progress in both physics and mathematics has benefited from cross-pollination between the physical and mathematical points of view. This book presents the proceedings from the workshop, ''Vertex Operator Algebras in Mathematics and Physics'', held at The Fields Institute. It consists of papers based on many of the talks given at the conference by leading experts in the algebraic, geometric, and physical aspects of vertex operator algebra theory. The book is suitable for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in the major themes and important developments on the frontier of research in vertex operator algebra theory and its applications in mathematics and physics.




Lie Algebras, Vertex Operator Algebras, and Related Topics


Book Description

This volume contains the proceedings of the conference on Lie Algebras, Vertex Operator Algebras, and Related Topics, celebrating the 70th birthday of James Lepowsky and Robert Wilson, held from August 14–18, 2015, at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. Since their seminal work in the 1970s, Lepowsky and Wilson, their collaborators, their students, and those inspired by their work, have developed an amazing body of work intertwining the fields of Lie algebras, vertex algebras, number theory, theoretical physics, quantum groups, the representation theory of finite simple groups, and more. The papers presented here include recent results and descriptions of ongoing research initiatives representing the broad influence and deep connections brought about by the work of Lepowsky and Wilson and include a contribution by Yi-Zhi Huang summarizing some major open problems in these areas, in particular as they pertain to two-dimensional conformal field theory.




The Moduli Space of $N=1$ Superspheres with Tubes and the Sewing Operation


Book Description

Within the framework of complex supergeometry and motivated by two-dimensional genus-zero holomorphic $N = 1$ superconformal field theory, this book defines the moduli space of $N=1$ genus-zero super-Riemann surfaces with oriented and ordered half-infinite tubes, modulo superconformal equivalence.




Lie Algebras, Vertex Operator Algebras and Their Applications


Book Description

The articles in this book are based on talks given at the international conference 'Lie algebras, vertex operator algebras and their applications'. The focus of the papers is mainly on Lie algebras, quantum groups, vertex operator algebras and their applications to number theory, combinatorics and conformal field theory.




Differential and Difference Equations with Applications


Book Description

This book gathers papers from the International Conference on Differential & Difference Equations and Applications 2017 (ICDDEA 2017), held in Lisbon, Portugal on June 5-9, 2017. The editors have compiled the strongest research presented at the conference, providing readers with valuable insights into new trends in the field, as well as applications and high-level survey results. The goal of the ICDDEA was to promote fruitful collaborations between researchers in the fields of differential and difference equations. All areas of differential and difference equations are represented, with a special emphasis on applications.




Shape, Smoothness, and Invariant Stratification of an Attracting Set for Delayed Monotone Positive Feedback


Book Description

This book contains recent results about the global dynamics defined by a class of delay differential equations which model basic feedback mechanisms and arise in a variety of applications such as neural networks. The authors describe in detail the geometric structure of a fundamental invariant set, which in special cases is the global attractor, and the asymptotic behavior of solution curves on it. The approach makes use of advanced tools which in recent years have been developed for the investigation of infinite-dimensional dynamical systems: local invariant manifolds and inclination lemmas for noninvertible maps, Floquet theory for delay differential equations, a priori estimates controlling the growth and decay of solutions with prescribed oscillation frequency, a discrete Lyapunov functional counting zeros, methods to represent invariant sets as graphs, and Poincaré-Bendixson techniques for classes of delay differential systems. Several appendices provide the general results needed in the case study, so the presentation is self-contained. Some of the general results are not available elsewhere, specifically on smooth infinite-dimensional centre-stable manifolds for maps. Results in the appendices will be useful for future studies of more complicated attractors of delay and partial differential equations.




Recent Developments in Infinite-Dimensional Lie Algebras and Conformal Field Theory


Book Description

Because of its many applications to mathematics and mathematical physics, the representation theory of infinite-dimensional Lie and quantized enveloping algebras comprises an important area of current research. This volume includes articles from the proceedings of an international conference, ``Infinite-Dimensional Lie Theory and Conformal Field Theory'', held at the University of Virginia. Many of the contributors to the volume are prominent researchers in the field. Thisconference provided an opportunity for mathematicians and physicists to interact in an active research area of mutual interest. The talks focused on recent developments in the representation theory of affine, quantum affine, and extended affine Lie algebras and Lie superalgebras. They also highlightedapplications to conformal field theory, integrable and disordered systems. Some of the articles are expository and accessible to a broad readership of mathematicians and physicists interested in this area; others are research articles that are appropriate for more advanced readers.