Flat connections for characters in irrational conformal field theory

Jun, 1994
40 pages
Published in:
  • Int.J.Mod.Phys.A 10 (1995) 1181-1218
e-Print:
Report number:
  • LBL-35718,
  • UCB-PTH-94-15

Citations per year

199419961998200020021302
Abstract:
Following the paradigm on the sphere, we begin the study of irrational conformal field theory (ICFT) on the torus. In particular, we find that the affine-Virasoro characters of ICFT satisfy heat-like differential equations with flat connections. As a first example, we solve the system for the general g/hg/h coset construction, obtaining an integral representation for the general coset characters. In a second application, we solve for the high-level characters of the general ICFT on simple gg, noting a simplification for the subspace of theories which possess a non-trivial symmetry group. Finally, we give a geometric formulation of the system in which the flat connections are generalized Laplacians on the centrally-extended loop group.
Note:
  • harvmac (answer b to question) 40 pages. LBL-35718, UCB-PTH-94/15
  • field theory: conformal
  • dimension: 2
  • space-time: torus
  • algebra: Virasoro
  • algebra: representation
  • differential equations
  • group theory: loop space
  • coset space