Krichever-Novikov type algebras. Theory and applications (Q2393447)

The goal of this book is to get the reader acquainted with Krichever-Novikov type infinite dimensional Lie algebras, study their properties and give the most important applications. The book is excellent for studying the topic. It has 14 Chapters, extended Bibliography and Index. The only prerequisites are the theory of Lie algebras and Riemann surfaces. To make the presentation self-contained, in Chapter 1 the author recalls the basics on Lie algebras, superalgebras, Virasoro and current algebras, and Riemann surfaces of genus \(g\geq 0\). In Chapter 2, algebraic structures of specific meromorphic objects on a compact Riemann surface are studied. Such algebras are called Krichever-Novikov type, if they are holomorphic outside a fixed set of points. They form an important class of infinite dimensional Lie algebras, which are far from being understood in general. Krichever-Novikov type algebras nicely combine geometric and algebraic properties. These algebras are in general not graded, which is often useful for dealing with infinite dimensional algebras. Instead, as Krichever and Novikov observed, a weaker concept, the almost grading can be introduced, which makes the necessary constructions doable. The definition is given in Chapter 3. The original almost-graded structure was given for the 2-point situation, and the author extended it to the multi-point cases. Also this Chapter defines the almost grading for the type of algebras which were introduced earlier. Chapter 4 deals with some technical, but useful details of almost grading, like the proof of existence of an almost grading. For this the author uses Riemann-Roch type arguments to show the existence of certain basis elements which give the almost-graded structure. In Chapter 5 there are explicit expressions for the homogeneous basis elements. The next Chapters deal with representations of the algebras. First, in Chapter 6, central extensions of the Krichever-Novikov type algebras are studied; their relation to Lie algebra cohomology, and their construction for geometrically induced Lie algebras. Central extensions appear naturally in quantizations of classical field theories. Chapter 7 studies the fermionic Fock space representations, or -- equivalently -- semi-infinite wedge representations of these algebras. One also obtains a representation of a certain central extension of the full algebra of differential operators, with the help of regularization procedure. As a technical tool, infinite dimensional matrix algebras are used. In Chapter 8 the author shows that the semi-infinite wedge form also comes with the representation of an algebra which has a Clifford algebra like structure. The corresponding field theoretical system is called \(b\)-\(c\) system. In mathematical context, the operators \(b\) and \(c\) are defined via anticommutators. In this chapter, arbitrary representation spaces of these field operators are considered, and the energy momentum tensor is defined. Its ``modes'' define a representation of an almost-graded central extension of the vector field algebra. The 2-point and also the multi-point situation is discussed. Chapter 9 contains the detailed study of higher genus current algebras and their central extensions. The almost-graded central extensions are classified. These algebras correspond to gauge symmetries. As examples of representations, the Verma modules and the fermionic Fock space representations are introduced. Chapter 10 presents the Sugawara construction for arbitrary genus in the multi-point situation. This construction relates the gauge symmetry to conformal symmetry which is realized by the vector field algebras and their central extensions. The last four Chapters cover main applications of the theory. Chapter 11 presents the author's and O. Sheinman's global operator approach to Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten models and the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov connection. Their approach uses global objects, which are the Krichever-Novikov algebras and their representations. A crucial point is that a certain subspace of the Krichever-Novikov algebra of vector fields can be identified with tangent directions on the moduli space of the geometric data. One can define conformal blocks, and with the global Sugawara construction also the higher genus multi-point Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov connection. We have to mention that this global construction -- up to now -- only works over an open dense subset of the moduli space. Other authors' approach provides a valid theory for the compactified moduli space. Another application of the Krichever-Novikov type algebras are related to deformations. This is the material of Chapter 12, and the results are done jointly with A. Fialowski. It turns out that the Witt/Virasoro algebra deforms into elliptic vector field Krichever-Novikov algebras. These families are locally nontrivial, in spite the fact that the Witt/Virasoro algebra is formally rigid, because the second cohomology group with values in the adjoint module is trivial. The same is true about current algebras. The point is that in the infinite dimensional situation, the vanishing cohomology space does not imply that the algebra is rigid in the geometric sense. Chapter 13 introduces the Lax operator algebras, which is a new class of global current type algebras. They are related to integrable systems. In these algebras, additional singularities are allowed. It is possible for such Lax operator algebras to introduce almost grading and classify associated almost-graded central extensions. The construction works so far for \(gl(n)\), \(sl(n)\), \(so(n)\), \(sp(2n)\) and \(G_2\). In the last Chapter we find further developments and related subjects, mainly by giving references. The book convinces the reader that -- beside Krichever-Novikov type algebras being mathematically very interesting infinite dimensional geometric examples, -- they are important in conformal field theory, integrable systems, deformations, and many other topics.