A level-one representation of the quantum affine superalgebra \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak sl}(M+1\mid N+1))\) (Q1379542)

The authors first review the definition of the quantum affine superalgebra \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(M+1| N+1))\) [cf. \textit{H. Yamane}, On defining relations of the affine Lie superalgebras and their quantized universal enveloping superalgebras, preprint q-alg/9603015 (1996)] and construct its level-zero representations. Then they study the free boson realization of \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(M+1| N+1))\) which gives a level-one representation. Their construction may be regarded as a \(q\)-deformation of the free field realization of \(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(M+1| N+1)\) studied by \textit{P. Bouwknegt, A. Ceresole, J. G. McCarthy} and \textit{P. van Nieuwenhuizen} [Extended Sugawara construction for the superalgebras \(SU(M+1| N+1)\). I: Free-field representation and bosonization of super Kac-Moody currents, Phys. Rev. D 39, 2971-2987 (1989)]. As suggested by the character formulas for \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(2| 1))\), the authors conjecture that their construction gives level-one irreducible highest weight \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(2| 1))\)-modules. The authors also study vertex operators for \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(M+1| N+1))\) and, for the case of \(U_q(\widehat{\mathfrak{sl}}(2| 1))\), they conjecture the existence of vertex operators which intertwine the irreducible highest weight modules.