From geometric quantization to conformal field theory (Q915886)

The 2d conformal field theory is analyzed in terms of geometric quantization. There are two novel features of the approach presented in the paper under consideration. First, the method of geometric quantization is reformulated in terms of the path integral, i.e. a quantum mechanical system is constructed such that the path integral with boundary conditions gives matrix coefficients of the corresponding irreducible representation. Second, instead of quantizing the coadjoint orbit a larger space called model space is quantized which yields all representations of the group with multiplicity one. These ideas are first explained using a compact Lie group as an example. Then they are applied to the Virasoro group. The relevant quantum system is constructed. Instead of quantum mechanics one has to deal here with 2d field theory. However, due to the finiteness of the rank the dimension of the space quantization is finite. The quantization of the model space is carried out and the relevant path integral calculated. This procedure is next repeated for the case of Kac-Moody groups. Finite sums in RCFT are reproduced.