Classification of \(\mathfrak{sl}_3\) relations in the Witt group of nondegenerate braided fusion categories (Q2362799)

The Witt group in the title of this paper is generated by equivalence classes of nondegenerate braided fusion categories, with a relation \([\mathcal{C}]=[\mathcal{D}]\) if \(\mathcal{C}\) and \(\mathcal{D}\) become equivalent after taking Deligne products with Drinfeld centers, that is, \(\mathcal{C}\boxtimes Z(\mathcal{A}_1)\cong \mathcal{D}\boxtimes Z(\mathcal{A}_2)\), where \(Z(\mathcal{A}_i)\) are Drinfeld centers of fusion categories \(\mathcal{A}_i\). The product in the Witt group is given by the Deligne product of fusion categories, and inverses are obtained by reversing the braiding of a braided fusion category. Important examples \(\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{g}, k)\) of (modular) braided fusion categories arise from representations of affine Lie algebras \(\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}\) at non-negative integer levels \(k\) ([\textit{M. Finkelberg}, Geom. Funct. Anal. 6, No. 2, 249--267 (1996; Zbl 0860.17040); erratum ibid. 23, No. 2, 810--811 (2013)], [\textit{Y.-Z. Huang} and \textit{J. Lepowsky}, Duke Math. J. 99, No. 1, 113--134 (1999; Zbl 0953.17016)]), or equivalently, from representations of quantum groups \(U_q(\mathfrak{g})\) at suitable roots of unity \(q\) ([\textit{H. H. Andersen} and \textit{J. Paradowski}, Commun. Math. Phys. 169, No. 3, 563--588 (1995; Zbl 0827.17010)]). In the paper under review, the author finds all Witt group relations between the equivalence classes \([\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_3, k)]\), as well as all relations involving only the classes \([\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_3, k)]\) and \([\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_2, k)]\) (relations involving only the classes \([\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_2, k)]\) were classified in [\textit{A. Davydov} et al., Sel. Math., New Ser. 19, No. 1, 237--269 (2013; Zbl 1345.18005)]). The classification of Witt group relations is based on finding a category in each equivalence class \([\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_3, k)]\) that has no non-trivial fusion subcategories or non-trivial connected étale algebras. For most cases where \(3\,|\,k\), the author shows that the braided tensor category of dyslectic modules for a certain maximal connected étale algebra in \(\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_3, k)\) can be used; for the remaining cases, he uses a result of \textit{T. Gannon} [Commun. Math. Phys. 161, No. 2, 233--263 (1994; Zbl 0806.17031)] that additional non-trivial connected étale algebras occur in the categories \(\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{sl}_3,k)\) only for the levels \(k=5, 9, 21\). The paper concludes with an overview of the obstructions to completing a similar classification of Witt group relations between classes \([\mathcal{C}(\mathfrak{g},k)]\) for higher-rank \(\mathfrak{g}\).