No label defined (Q3973462)

[For the entire collection see Zbl 0722.00027.] Some ideas formulated in the first days of string theory such as two- dimensional conformal invariance and duality are reinterpreted. The anomaly in the Virasoro algebra easily interpreted in the one-dimensional point of view, has been interpreted in two dimensions. This paper offers a three-dimensional interpretation of the Virasoro anomaly which arises in the three-dimensional approach to rational conformal field theory. It is shown that the concept of duality also applies for three- dimensional gauge theories with the non-compact gauge group \(G\equiv \text{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})\) under certain topological restrictions. The correct two-dimensional interpretation of the proposed three-dimensional theory is an open problem. Special attention is devoted to the generalization of the known constructions of solvable conformal field theories, by using coset models.