Differential operators for elliptic genera (Q2638179)

The correlation functions of a conformal field theory on a torus depend only on the conformal structures of the torus. Therefore, the correlation functions are functions of the modular parameter and are covariant under the action of the modular group. The modular covariance of the correlation functions comes from the modular covariance of the chiral characters of a conformal field theory. The modular covariance of the chiral characters was rigorously established by \textit{Y. Zhu} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 9, No. 1, 237--302 (1996; Zbl 0854.17034)]. A key step in his argument is establishing recursion relations of trace functions which implies a modular covariant differential operator annihilating all the chiral characters. The paper under review generalizes Zhu's recursion relations in the bosonic case to \(N=2\) superconformal field theory to obtain recursion relations for elliptic genera. Those relations involve twisted Eisenstein series defined by \textit{G. Mason, M. P. Tuite} and \textit{A. Zuevsky} [Commun. Math. Phys. 283, No. 2, 305-342 (2008; Zbl 1211.17026)]. From those relations, the authors construct modular covariant differential operators for the weak Jacobi forms. The analysis here is more complicated than that in the bosonic case. The author only give explicit formulas for operators of weight two, three and four. Although the explicit formulas for operators of general weights are not given, the number of operators of general weights is counted. As applications of the modular covariant differential operators, the authors show that the elliptic genera of \(N=2\) superconformal field theory are characterized by those operators and those operators can be used to constrain extremal \(N=2\) superconformal field theories.