Modular Virasoro vertex algebras and affine vertex algebras (Q1628505)

Although vertex algebras are normally studied over \(\mathbb{C}\), the definition works over any commutative ring. Here, the authors study vertex (operator) algebras associated to the Virasoro Lie algebra and to affine Lie algebras over any field \(\mathbb{F}\) of characteristic \(p\geq 3\). Just as in characteristic \(0\), there is a universal Virasoro vertex algebra \(V_{\mathcal{V}\mathrm{ir}}(c,0)\) for every central charge \(c\in\mathbb{F}\), and for an affine Lie algebra \(\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}\), there is a universal vertex algebra \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}(\ell,0)\) at any level \(\ell\in\mathbb{F}\). The most interesting new feature in positive characteristic is the existence of quotients of the universal vertex algebras with finitely many irreducible modules at all central charges and levels. These quotient vertex algebras are related to the \(p\)-centers of the Virasoro and affine Lie algebras in characteristic \(p\). A Lie algebra in characteristic \(p\) is called restricted if it has a mapping \(a\mapsto a^{[p]}\) satisfying suitable properties; elements of the form \(a^p-a^{[p]}\) are central in the universal enveloping algebra and generate the \(p\)-center of the Lie algebra. The authors show that the Virasoro algebra in characteristic \(p\) is restricted; it was shown in [\textit{O. Mathieu}, Compos. Math. 102, No. 3, 305--312 (1996; Zbl 0878.17023)] that an affine Lie algebra \(\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}\) is restricted if the corresponding finite-dimensional Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{g}\) is. Using the generators of the \(p\)-centers, the authors construct a quotient \(V_{\mathcal{V}\mathrm{ir}}^0(c,0)\) of \(V_{\mathcal{V}\mathrm{ir}}(c,0)\) and a quotient \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(\ell,0)\) of \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}(\ell,0)\). By computing the Zhu algebras of \(V_{\mathcal{V}\mathrm{ir}}^0(c,0)\) and \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(\ell,0)\), they show that these quotient vertex algebras have finitely many irreducible modules. In particular, the Zhu algebra of \(V_{\mathcal{V}\mathrm{ir}}^0(c,0)\) is \(\mathbb{F}[x]/(x^p-x)\), so the conformal dimensions of irreducible \(V_{\mathcal{V}\mathrm{ir}}^0(c,0)\)-modules must come from the prime field \(\mathbb{F}_p\subseteq\mathbb{F}\). The Zhu algebra of \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(\ell,0)\) is the restricted universal enveloping algebra \(\mathfrak{u}(\mathfrak{g})\), which is the quotient of \(U(\mathfrak{g})\) by the ideal generated by the \(p\)-center. The paper concludes with a discussion of whether \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(\ell,0)\) can equal the unique simple quotient \(L_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}(\ell,0)\) of the universal affine vertex algebra. For \(\mathfrak{g}\) finite-dimensional classical simple, the authors conjecture that this occurs when \(\mathbb{F}\) is algebraically closed and \(\ell\notin\mathbb{F}_p\). On the other hand, in the case \(\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{sl}_2\), they show that \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(\ell,0)\neq L_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}(\ell,0)\) for \(\ell\in\lbrace 0,1,\ldots,p-2\rbrace\). This is because \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(\ell,0)\) has \(p\) irreducible modules while \(L_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}(\ell,0)\) has at most \(\ell+1\) (exactly as in characteristic \(0\)). The possibility that \(V_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}^0(p-1,0) = L_{\widehat{\mathfrak{g}}}(p-1,0)\) is left open.