Exts and the AGT relations (Q315459)

\textit{E. Carlsson} [``AGT and the Segal-Sugawara construction'', \url{arXiv:1509.00075}], [\textit{N. A. Nekrasov} and \textit{A. Okounkov}, Prog. Math. 244, 525--596 (2006; Zbl 1233.14029)] pointed out that the partition function of \(\mathcal{N}=2\) supersymmetric \(U(r)\) gauge theory with bifundamental matter can be realized as the trace of Ext operator products \(A_m(x)\). Alday-Gaiotto-Tachikawa [\textit{L. F. Alday} et al., Lett. Math. Phys. 91, No. 2, 167--197 (2010; Zbl 1185.81111)] (AGT) relations predict that it is related to a Liouville conformal block in a certain conformal field theory on a sphere with punctures. Carlsson showed that the AGT relations would follow if \(A_m(x)\) can be connected to certain ``intertwiners'' \(\Omega_m(x)\) for the algebra \(W(\mathfrak{gl}_r)\), which satisfy the commutation relations with the Heisenberg-Virasoro subalgebra of \(W(\mathfrak{gl}_r)\). When \(r=2\) these relations determine (the single) \(\Omega_m(x)\) uniquely, and it is known as a Liouville vertex operator. The main result of this paper is that for \(r=2\) the operator \( A_m(x)\) satisfies similar relations, and the requisite Carlsson's connection follows. Carlsson himself proved the connection earlier using the Segal-Sugawara construction, and Kanno-Zhang proved it using recursions in the Schiffman-Vasserot algebra. The author instead uses intersection-theoretic tools, namely the shuffle algebra and tautological classes on moduli of sheaves, which apply to more general quiver varieties, e.g. affine Laumon spaces he studied earlier. For general \(r\), however, the Heisenberg-Virasoro relations do not determine \(A_m(x)\) uniquely, and one needs to compute commutators with higher currents. This is beyond reach at the moment, because there is no analog of the shuffle algebra interpretation of the Schiffman-Vasserot construction, which provides explicit formulas for geometric correspondences.