Dilogarithm identities in conformal field theory and group homology

Apr 6, 1993
22 pages
Published in:
  • Commun.Math.Phys. 161 (1994) 265-282
e-Print:
Report number:
  • PRINT-93-0315 (AARHUS)

Citations per year

19931999200520112017103
Abstract:
Recently, Rogers' dilogarithm identities have attracted much attention in the setting of conformal field theory as well as lattice model calculations. One of the connecting threads is an identity of Richmond-Szekeres that appeared in the computation of central charges in conformal field theory. We show that the Richmond-Szekeres identity and its extension by Kirillov-Reshetikhin can be interpreted as a lift of a generator of the third integral homology of a finite cyclic subgroup sitting inside the projective special linear group of all 2×22 \times 2 real matrices viewed as a {\it discrete} group. This connection allows us to clarify a few of the assertions and conjectures stated in the work of Nahm-Recknagel-Terhoven concerning the role of algebraic KK-theory and Thurston's program on hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Specifically, it is not related to hyperbolic 3-manifolds as suggested but is more appropriately related to the group manifold of the universal covering group of the projective special linear group of all 2×22 \times 2 real matrices viewed as a topological group. This also resolves the weaker version of the conjecture as formulated by Kirillov. We end with the summary of a number of open conjectures on the mathematical side.
  • field theory: conformal
  • dimension: 2
  • analytic properties