On vertex algebras and their modules associated with even lattices (Q1008759): Difference between revisions

The authors study the representation theory of Heisenberg and lattice vertex algebras. Let \(M(1,0)\) be the vertex algebra constructed from abelian Lie algebra \({\mathfrak h}\) with a nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form \( \langle \cdot, \cdot \rangle\). Let \(L\) be an even lattice realized as an additive subgroup of \({\mathfrak h}\). The authors construct and characterize the vertex algebra \(V_{({\mathfrak h},L) }\) associated to the pair \(({\mathfrak h},L)\). They classify irreducible \(V_{({\mathfrak h},L) }\)-modules in terms of irreducible \(M(1,0)\)-modules. It turns out that for a general pair \(({\mathfrak h},L)\) with \({\mathfrak h} \neq \text{span} (L)\), the vertex algebra \(({\mathfrak h},L)\) is irrational and has irreducible modules other than constructed from the canonical representation of Heisenberg algebras on polynomial algebras. A section is devoted to vertex algebras \(V_{({\mathfrak h},L)}\) with \( \langle \cdot, \cdot \rangle | _L = 0\). The authors give a characterization of these vertex algebras in terms of affine Lie algebras. The paper contains many new results which are important for the representation theory of vertex algebras and infinite-dimensional Lie algebras.