A new family of irreducible, integrable modules for affine Lie algebras (Q1086336)

The irreducible, integrable modules with finite-dimensional weight spaces for an affine Lie algebra \(\widehat{\mathfrak g}\) have been classified and studied in previous papers of the authors [Invent. Math. 85, 317--335 (1986; Zbl 0603.17011); Math. Ann. 275, 87--104 (1986; Zbl 0603.17012)]. They are of three types: (i) integrable highest weight modules \(X(\lambda)\), with highest weight \(\lambda\) ; (ii) integrable lowest weight modules \(X(\lambda)^ *\), with lowest weight \(-\lambda\) ; (iii) loop modules: these are generalizations of the modules obtained by taking the obvious pointwise action of \(\widehat{\mathfrak g}\) on \(V\otimes \mathbb C[t,t^{-1}]\), where \(V\) is an irreducible representation of the underlying finite-dimensional Lie algebra \(\mathfrak g\). This paper studies tensor products of modules of the above types (this is only of interest when the modules belong to different classes). The main result is that, in at least ''half'' the possible cases (and possibly in all) the tensor product of an integrable highest weight module and a loop module is irreducible. These are the first examples of irreducible, integrable \(\widehat{\mathfrak g}\)-modules with infinite-dimensional weight spaces. By contrast, it is proved that the tensor products \(X(\lambda)\otimes X(\mu)^ *\) are never irreducible (unless one of the factors is trivial). This follows from a description of \(X(\lambda)\otimes X(\mu)^ *\) in terms of generators and relations: one exhibits explicitly, as a quotient of \(X(\lambda)\otimes X(\mu)^ *\), a module of the form \(X(\nu)\), or \(X(\nu)^ *\), or a loop module, the three cases occurring according as \(\lambda-\mu\) is positive, negative, or zero on the canonical generator of the centre of \(\widehat{\mathfrak g}\). A further consequence is that every irreducible, integrable \(\widehat{\mathfrak g}\)-module is a quotient of some \(X(\lambda)\otimes X(\mu)^ *\).