W-algebra
{{Short description|Associative algebra generalizing the Virasoro algebra}}
{{for|W*-algebra|Von Neumann algebra}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=May 2021}}
In conformal field theory and representation theory, a W-algebra is an associative algebra that generalizes the Virasoro algebra. W-algebras were introduced by Alexander Zamolodchikov, and the name "W-algebra" comes from the fact that Zamolodchikov used the letter W for one of the elements of one of his examples.
Definition
A W-algebra is an associative algebra that is generated by the modes of a finite number of meromorphic fields , including the energy-momentum tensor . For , is a primary field of conformal dimension . The generators of the algebra are related to the meromorphic fields by the mode expansions
:
The commutation relations of are given by the Virasoro algebra, which is parameterized by a central charge . This number is also called the central charge of the W-algebra. The commutation relations
:
are equivalent to the assumption that is a primary field of dimension .
The rest of the commutation relations can in principle be determined by solving the Jacobi identities.
Given a finite set of conformal dimensions (not necessarily all distinct), the number of W-algebras generated by may be zero, one or more. The resulting W-algebras may exist for all , or only for some specific values of the central charge.
A W-algebra is called freely generated if its generators obey no other relations than the commutation relations. Most commonly studied W-algebras are freely generated, including the W(N) algebras. In this article, the sections on representation theory and correlation functions apply to freely generated W-algebras.
Constructions
While it is possible to construct W-algebras by assuming the existence of a number of meromorphic fields and solving the Jacobi identities, there also exist systematic constructions of families of W-algebras.
=Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction=
From a finite-dimensional Lie algebra , together with an embedding , a W-algebra may be constructed from the universal enveloping algebra of the affine Lie algebra by a kind of BRST construction.
Then the central charge of the W-algebra is a function of the level of the affine Lie algebra.
=Coset construction=
Given a finite-dimensional Lie algebra , together with a subalgebra , a W-algebra may be constructed from the corresponding affine Lie algebras . The fields that generate are the polynomials in the currents of and their derivatives that commute with the currents of . The central charge of is the difference of the central charges of and , which are themselves given in terms of their level by the Sugawara construction.
=Commutator of a set of screenings=
Given a holomorphic field with values in , and a set of vectors , a W-algebra may be defined as the set of polynomials of and its derivatives that commute with the screening charges . If the vectors are the simple roots of a Lie algebra , the resulting W-algebra coincides with an algebra that is obtained from by Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction.
The W(N) algebras
For any integer , the W(N) algebra is a W-algebra which is generated by meromorphic fields of dimensions . The W(2) algebra coincides with the Virasoro algebra.
=Construction=
The W(N) algebra is obtained by Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction of the affine Lie algebra .
The embeddings are parametrized by the integer partitions of , interpreted as decompositions of the fundamental representation of into representations of . The set of dimensions of the generators of the resulting W-algebra is such that where is the -dimensional irreducible representation of .
The trivial partition corresponds to the W(N) algebra, while corresponds to itself. In the case , the partition
leads to the Bershadsky-Polyakov algebra, whose generating fields have the dimensions .
=Properties=
The central charge of the W(N) algebra is given in terms of the level of the affine Lie algebra by
:
in notations where the central charge of the affine Lie algebra is
:
c_{\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}_N} = (N-1)(N+1) - \frac{N(N-1)(N+1)}{k+N}
It is possible to choose a basis such that the commutation relations are invariant under .
While the Virasoro algebra is a subalgebra of the universal enveloping algebra of , the W(N) algebra with is not a subalgebra of the universal enveloping algebra of .
=Example of the W(3) algebra=
The W(3) algebra is generated by the generators of the Virasoro algebra , plus another infinite family of generators . The commutation relations are
:
:
[L_m, W_n] = (2m-n)W_{m+n}
:
[W_m, W_n] = \frac{c}{360} m(m^2-1)(m^2-4) \delta_{m+n,0} +\frac{16(m-n)}{22+5c}\Lambda_{m+n}
+ \frac{(m-n)(2m^2-mn+2n^2-8)}{30} L_{m+n}
where is the central charge, and we define
:
The field is such that .
Representation theory
=Highest weight representations=
A highest weight representation of a W-algebra is a representation that is generated by a primary state: a vector such that
:
for some numbers called the charges, including the conformal dimension .
Given a set of charges, the corresponding Verma module is the largest highest-weight representation that is generated by a primary state with these charges. A basis of the Verma module is
:
\left\{ \prod_{h\in H} W^{(h)}_{-\vec{N}_h} v \right\}_{\vec{N}_h\in \mathcal{V}}
where is the set of ordered tuples of strictly positive integers of the type with
For generic values of the charges, the Verma module is the only highest weight representation. For special values of the charges that depend on the algebra's central charge, there exist other highest weight representations, called degenerate representations. Degenerate representations exist if
the Verma module is reducible, and
they are quotients of the Verma module by its nontrivial submodules.
=Degenerate representations=
If a Verma module is reducible, any indecomposible submodule is itself a highest weight representation, and is generated by a state that is both descendant and primary, called a null state or null vector. A degenerate representation is obtained by setting one or more null vectors to zero. Setting all the null vectors to zero leads to an irreducible representation.
The structures and characters of irreducible representations can be deduced by Drinfeld-Sokolov reduction from representations of affine Lie algebras.
The existence of null vectors is possible only under
For example, in the case of the algebra W(3), the Verma module with vanishing charges
The simplest nontrivial fully degenerate representation of W(3) has vanishing null vectors at levels 1, 2 and 3, whose expressions are explicitly known.
An alternative characterization of a fully degenerate representation is that its fusion product with any Verma module is a sum of finitely many indecomposable representations.
=Case of W(N)=
It is convenient to parametrize highest-weight representations not by the set of charges
Let
:
The charges
:
Let us parametrize the central charge in terms of a number
:
If there is a positive root
:
then the Verma module of momentum
The number of independent null vectors is the number of positive roots such that
(up to a Weyl reflection).
The maximal number of null vectors is the number of positive roots
:
where
The irreducible finite-dimensional representation
:
\mathcal{R}_{\Omega_+,\Omega_-}\times \mathcal{V}_P = \sum_{\lambda_+\in \Lambda_{\Omega_+}}\sum_{\lambda_-\in \Lambda_{\Omega_-}} \mathcal{V}_{P+b\lambda_++b^{-1}\lambda_-}
Correlation functions
=Primary fields=
To a primary state of charge
:
W^{(h)}(y)V_{\vec{q}}(z) = \left(\frac{q^{(h)}}{(y-z)^h} + \sum_{n=1}^{h-1} \frac{W^{(h)}_{-n}}{(y-z)^{h-n}}\right) V_{\vec{q}}(z) + O(1)
On any field
=Ward identities=
On the Riemann sphere, if there is no field at infinity, we have
Local Ward identities are obtained by inserting
For example, in the case of a three-point function on the sphere
In the W(3) algebra, as in generic W-algebras, correlation functions of descendant fields can therefore not be deduced from correlation functions of primary fields using Ward identities, as was the case for the Virasoro algebra. A W(3)-Verma module appears in the fusion product of two other W(3)-Verma modules with a multiplicity that is in general infinite.
=Differential equations=
A correlation function may obey a differential equation that generalizes the BPZ equations if the fields have sufficiently many vanishing null vectors.
A four-point function of W(N)-primary fields on the sphere with one fully degenerate field obeys a differential equation if
Applications to conformal field theory
=W-minimal models=
W-minimal models are generalizations of Virasoro minimal models based on a W-algebra. Their spaces of states are made of finitely many fully degenerate representations. They exist for certain rational values of the central charge: in the case of the W(N) algebra, values of the type
:
A W(N)-minimal model with central charge
For example, the two-dimensional critical three-state Potts model has central charge
=Conformal Toda theory=
Conformal Toda theory is a generalization of Liouville theory that is based on a W-algebra. Given a simple Lie algebra
:
This depends on the cosmological constant
For the preservation of conformal symmetry in the quantum theory, it is crucial that there are no more interaction terms than components of the vector
The methods that lead to the solution of Liouville theory may be applied to W(N)-conformal Toda theory, but they only lead to the analytic determination of a particular class of three-point structure constants, and W(N)-conformal Toda theory with
=Logarithmic conformal field theory=
At central charge
Related concepts
=Classical W-algebras=
=Finite W-algebras=
Finite W-algebras are certain associative algebras associated to nilpotent elements of semisimple Lie algebras.
The original definition, provided by Alexander Premet, starts with a pair
By the Jacobson-Morozov theorem, e is part of a sl2 triple (e, h, f). The eigenspace decomposition of ad(h) induces a
::
Define a character
::
After choosing any Lagrangian subspace
::
The left ideal
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Cite journal | title = W symmetry in conformal field theory
| last1 = Bouwknegt | first1 = Peter
| last2 = Schoutens | first2 = Kareljan
| journal = Physics Reports
| year = 1993 | volume = 223 | issue = 4 | pages = 183–276
| arxiv = hep-th/9210010 | bibcode = 1993PhR...223..183B | doi = 10.1016/0370-1573(93)90111-P | issn = 0370-1573 | mr = 1208246 | s2cid = 118959569
}}
{{cite book| chapter = Nilpotent orbits and finite W-algebras
| last = Wang | first = Weiqiang | year = 2011
| title = Geometric representation theory and extended affine Lie algebras
| editor1-last = Neher | editor1-first = Erhard
| editor2-last = Savage | editor2-first = Alistair
| editor3-last = Wang | editor3-first = Weiqiang
| location = Providence RI
| volume = 59 | series = Fields Institute Communications Series
| pages = 71–105
| arxiv = 0912.0689 | bibcode = 2009arXiv0912.0689W | isbn = 978-082185237-8 | mr = 2777648
}}
{{cite book| chapter = W-algebras and their representations
| last = Watts | first = Gerard M. T.
| title = Conformal field theories and integrable models (Budapest, 1996)
| editor1-last = Horváth | editor1-first = Zalán
| editor2-last = Palla | editor2-first = László
| publisher = Springer-Verlag | location = Berlin, New York
| volume = 498 | series = Lecture Notes in Phys.
| pages = 55–84
| chapter-url = https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/5035855/kcl_mth_97_50.pdf
| url = https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/walgebras-and-their-representations(3963496d-cdb9-4b1f-b33e-b30fa35fb57c).html
| date = 1997
| doi = 10.1007/BFb0105278 | isbn = 978-3-540-63618-2 | mr = 1636798
| s2cid = 117999633 | ref = none
}}
{{Cite journal | title = Infinite extra symmetries in two-dimensional conformal quantum field theory
| last = Zamolodchikov | first = A.B.
| journal = Akademiya Nauk SSSR. Teoreticheskaya I Matematicheskaya Fizika
| year = 1985 | volume = 65 | issue = 3 | pages = 347–359
| language = ru
| issn = 0564-6162 | mr = 829902
}}
| last1 = Zamolodchikov | first1 = A.B. | last2 = Fateev | first2 = V.A.
| journal = Nuclear Physics B
| year = 1987 | volume = 280 | pages = 644–660
| doi = 10.1016/0550-3213(87)90166-0
}}
}}
Further reading
{{refbegin|35em}}
- {{Citation| title = Quantization and representation theory of finite W algebras
| last1 = de Boer | first1 = Jan
| last2 = Tjin | first2 = Tjark
| journal = Communications in Mathematical Physics
| year = 1993 | volume = 158 | issue = 3 | pages = 485–516
| url = http://projecteuclid.org/getRecord?id=euclid.cmp/1104254359
| arxiv = hep-th/9211109 | bibcode = 1993CMaPh.158..485D | doi = 10.1007/bf02096800 | issn = 0010-3616 | mr = 1255424 | s2cid = 204933347
| ref = none
}}
- {{Citation| title = W-symmetry
| editor1-last = Bouwknegt | editor1-first = P.
| editor2-last = Schoutens | editor2-first = K.
| publisher = World Scientific Publishing Co. | location = River Edge, New Jersey
| volume = 22 | series = Advanced Series in Mathematical Physics
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wQ6G0sPOoH8C
| date = 1995
| doi = 10.1142/2354 | isbn = 978-981021762-4 | mr = 1338864
| ref = none
}}
- {{Citation| title = Finite W-algebras of Classical Type
| last = Brown | first = Jonathan
| url = https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/10201/Brown_Jonathan_phd2009sp.pdf?sequence=1
| ref = none
}}
- {{Citation| title = Lectures on classical W-algebras
| last = Dickey | first = L. A. | year = 1997
| journal = Acta Applicandae Mathematicae
| volume = 47 | issue = 3 | pages = 243–321
| doi = 10.1023/A:1017903416906 | issn = 0167-8019 | s2cid = 118573600
| ref = none
}}
- {{Citation| title = Quantization of Slodowy slices
| last1 = Gan | first1 = Wee Liang
| last2 = Ginzburg | first2 = Victor
| journal = International Mathematics Research Notices
| year = 2002 | volume = 2002 | issue = 5 | pages = 243–255
| arxiv = math/0105225 | doi = 10.1155/S107379280210609X | issn = 1073-7928 | mr = 1876934 | s2cid = 13895488
| doi-access = free
| ref = none
}}
- {{Citation| title = Quantized symplectic actions and W-algebras
| last = Losev | first = Ivan | year = 2010
| journal = Journal of the American Mathematical Society
| volume = 23 | issue = 1 | pages = 35–59
| arxiv = 0707.3108 | bibcode = 2010JAMS...23...35L | doi = 10.1090/S0894-0347-09-00648-1 | issn = 0894-0347 | mr = 2552248 | s2cid = 16211165
| ref = none
}}
- {{Citation| title = Lectures on W algebras and W gravity
| last = Pope | first = C.N.
| series = Lectures given at the Trieste Summer School in High-Energy Physics, August 1991
| date = 1991
| arxiv = hep-th/9112076 | bibcode = 1991hep.th...12076P
| ref = none
}}
{{refend}}