WZW fusion rings in the limit of infinite level (Q1363119)

Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) theories are models of conformal field theories for which the (chiral) symmetry algebra is a semi-direct product of the Virasoro algebra with an untwisted affine Kac-Moody algebra \(\mathfrak g\) of level \(k\). The corresponding finite-dimensional Lie algebra \(\overline{\mathfrak g}\) is called the horizontal Lie algebra. Associated to the representations of the symmetry algebra is the fusion ring. It is a unital, associative ring over the integers which fulfils certain additional properties (like existence of a conjugation, positivity, rationality, modularity). In this article the authors define a limit in the sense that \(k\) ``goes to infinity''. Because the fusion rings to arbitrary levels are not necessarily related, this is only possibility after introducing a suitable projective system of fusion rings. The partial ordering underlying the projective system is based on the divisibility property of the (by the dual Coxeter number) shifted level, the height. The projective limit \({}^{(\infty)}\mathcal R\) is taken in the category of commutative rings. It is a unital, associative ring of countable infinite dimension. In the article the ring is explicitly constructed and equipped with a topological structure and topological basis. Its representation theory is studied. All irreducible representations are determined. It is shown that any continuous \({}^{(\infty)}\mathcal R\)-module is a direct sum of irreducible modules (this is the topological analogue of semi-simplicity). An analogue of the Verlinde formula is obtained. By letting the height go to infinity one gets a semi-classical limit. It is expected to recover in some way the representation theory of the (classical) horizontal algebra in the limit. The authors show that its representation ring can indeed be found as the (comparably small) subring consisting of the elements which are ultimately constant.