On vertex algebras and their modules associated with even lattices (Q1008759)

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.