No label defined (Q4356348)

It is the goal of the paper to give a simple and precise exposition of the mathematical structure inherent to the Verlinde fusion formula. A set of identities for the fusion matrix, including the pentagon identity, is derived, and the gauge invariance is discussed. A gauge independent formula for Verlinde loop operators is provided. The paper is organized as follows: \S 1. Introduction; \S 2. The fusion and the braiding matrices; in this paragraph the algebraic structure relevant to the fusion matrix and the Verlinde holonomy operators in a rational conformal field theory is introduced: 1. Chiral algebras, 2. Chiral vertices (i.e. chiral vertex operators), 3. is lost, it might be denoted: Consequences of Ward identities, 4. Fusion and braiding of chiral vertices, 5. \(SL(2,\mathbb{C})\) invariance of the two and three point functions, 6. Special values of the fusion and braiding matrices; \S 3. Gauge invariant identities of the fusion matrix; gauge invariant identities relevant to the Verlinde holonomy operators, including the pentagon identity, are described in this paragraph: 1. The pentagon identity, 2. Relation between the fusion and the braiding matrices, 3. The inverse of the fusion matrix entries, 4. The pentagon identity in terms of the fusion matrix, 5. The Verlinde loop operators and the fusion matrix; \S 4. The gauge-fixed fusion matrix; The Verlinde formulae are established in this paragraph: 1. Partial gauge fixing, 2. Rigid gauges, 3. The inverse of the fusion matrix in a rigid gauge, 4. Symmetry of the gauge-fixed fusion matrix, 5. Proof of the Verlinde fusion formula, 6. The Verlinde dimension formula. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0869.00033].