Locality of conformal fields in two dimensions: Exchange algebra on the light-cone (Q1115514)

The present paper isolates some fundamental algebraic identities related to the recent classification of conformal quantum field theories in two dimensions which contain a finite number of primary fields [\textit{A. A. Belavin}, \textit{A. M. Polyakov} and \textit{A. B. Zamolodchikov}, Nucl. Phys. B 241, 333-380 (1984; Zbl 0661.17013)]. More precisely, starting from the structure of a local n-point correlation function \[ <\phi_ 1(x_ 1)... \phi_ n(x_ n)>=\sum^{r}_{\alpha =1}F_{\alpha}(u)\bar F_{\alpha}(v), \] where \(u=x+t\), \(v=x-t\) are light-cone variables, the author analyses the analytic continuation properties of the functions F when passing from one point \((...,x_ i,x_{i+1},...)\) to the permuted one \((...,x_{i+1},x_ i,...)\). It turns out by simple arguments that this exchange of the coordinates is implemented by some unitary matrices \(A_ i=(A_{\alpha \beta}):\) \[ F_{\alpha}(.,,,.u_{i+1},u_ i,...)=\eta \sum_{\beta}A_{\alpha \beta}F_{\beta}(...,u_ i,u_{i+1},...),\quad u_ i>u_{i+1}. \] The exchange algebra is then generated by these matrices, and the main observation of the paper is that this is a braid algebra, i.e. \(A_ iA_{i+1}A_ i=A_{i+1}A_ iA_{i+1}\). The author asserts, and proves on an example, that the structure of the exchange algebra determines the whole local field. Thus the classification of all finite dimensional representations of braid algebras is intimately related to the classification of conformal theories with a finite number of primary fields. This opens a rich area of research for the future.