Some exceptional extensions of Virasoro vertex operator algebras (Q2285294)

In rational two-dimensional conformal quantum field theory, an important problem is to classify the \(SL(2,\mathbb{Z})\)-invariant conformal-field-theoretic partition functions that can be obtained from the characters of modules for a rational vertex operator algebra \(V\). It is known [\textit{C. Dong}, \textit{X. Lin} and \textit{S.-H. Ng}, Algebra Number Theory 9, No. 9, 2121--2166 (2015; Zbl 1377.17025)] that such partition functions can be obtained from rational extension algebras \(U\supseteq V\). Conversely, one can ask if a partition function obtained from the characters of \(V\)-modules comes from a rational vertex operator algebra extension \(U\). Physicists have classified the modular-invariant partition functions that can be obtained from the characters of rational Virasoro vertex operator algebras \(L(c_{p,q},0)\) at central charge \(c_{p,q}=1-\frac{6(p-q)^2}{pq}\) for relatively prime integers \(p,q\geq 2\) (see for example the tables in Section 10.7 of [\textit{P. Di Francesco}, \textit{P. Mathieu} and \textit{D. Senechal}, Conformal field theory. New York, NY: Springer (1997; Zbl 0869.53052)]). These partition functions are labeled by ordered pairs of ADE Dynkin diagrams. In the paper under review, the authors construct rational vertex operator algebras \(U\) giving the exceptional modular-invariant partition functions of types \((A_{q-1}, E_6)\) for \(q\equiv 11\,\mathrm{mod}\,12\), \((E_6, A_{p-1})\) for \(p\equiv 1\,\mathrm{mod}\,12\), \((A_{q-1},E_8)\) for \(q\equiv 29\,\mathrm{mod}\,30\), and \((E_8,A_{p-1})\) for \(p\equiv 1\,\mathrm{mod}\,30\). These vertex operator algebras are extensions of \(L(c_{12,q},0)\), \(L(c_{p,12},0)\), \(L(c_{30,q},0)\), and \(L(c_{p,30},0)\), respectively. The authors also prove that the vertex operator algebra structures on these extensions \(U\) of \(L(c_{p,q},0)\) are unique up to isomorphism. Except for the first case in each of the four series, the authors' vertex operator algebras \(U\) extending \(L(c_{p,q},0)\) are non-unitary (the unitary extensions had already been constructed by two of the authors in [\textit{C. Dong} and \textit{X. Lin}, Commun. Math. Phys. 340, No. 2, 613-637 (2015; Zbl 1371.17025)]). In the paper under review, the authors construct each \(U\) recursively, starting from the first unitary cases, using the vertex operator algebra extensions \[ L(c_{p+p',p},0)\otimes L(c_{p',p+p'},0)\subseteq\mathcal{U}\otimes L(c_{p',p},0) \] obtained in [\textit{M. Bershtein}, \textit{B. Feigin} and \textit{A. Litvinov}, Lett. Math. Phys. 106, No. 1, 29-56 (2016; Zbl 1395.17058)]; here \(\mathcal{U}\) is a lattice vertex algebra with a modified conformal vector. The proof of uniqueness for the vertex operator algebra structure on \(U\) is also inductive.