A theory of tensor products for module categories for a vertex operator algebra. IV (Q1896839)

In part III (reviewed above) of the author's joint work with Lepowsky, they gave two constructions of the so-called ``\(P(z)\)-tensors'' of two modules of a vertex operator algebra. The tensors form modules of the same algebra under two conditions. In this paper, the author proves the associativity of the \(P(z)\)-tensors under certain conditions. In a special case, the associativity is proved to be equivalent to the associativity of the corresponding \(P(z)\)-intertwining maps. The associativity is shown to be related to certain features of spheres with punctures.