Unitary representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra with \(c \geq 2\) (Q6097856)

The \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra is the affine \(W\)-algebra associated to the principal nilpotent element of \(\mathfrak{sl}_3\) and thus is the most elementary principal \(W\)-algebra after the Virasoro algebra, which is the principal \(W\)-algebra of \(\mathfrak{sl}_2\). Unlike the Virasoro algebra, the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra does not have a Lie algebra structure, but its vacuum representations at any non-critical central charge do have the structure of vertex operator algebras. Also unlike the Virasoro algebra, unitary representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra have not been completely classified, although the recent coset construction of unitary representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra (among other algebras) in [\textit{T. Arakawa} et al., Invent. Math. 218, No. 1, 145--195 (2019; Zbl 1459.17045)] has completed the classification for central charges \(c<2\). The first main result in the paper under review is that all vacuum representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra with \(c\geq 2\) are unitary and moreover have the structure of unitary vertex operator algebras. To prove this, the authors use the free field realization of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra from [\textit{V. Fateev} and \textit{A. Zamolodchikov}, Nucl. Phys., B 280, No. 4, 644--660 (1987)], in which the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra is embedded into a rank-\(2\) Heisenberg vertex algebra. After twisting this embedding by a suitable automorphism of the Heisenberg Lie algebra, the authors show that unitary representations of the Heisenberg algebra become almost unitary for the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra in a certain sense, and that all vacuum representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra with \(c\geq 2\) embed into unitary Heisenberg representations. Finally, they use a technical argument to show that almost-unitary vacuum representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra are in fact unitary (though this is not always the case for almost-unitary non-vacuum representations). Next, the authors study unitarity for non-vacuum representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra for \(c\geq 2\). Using another twisting of the Fateev-Zamolodchikov free field realization, they show directly that for any \(c\geq 2\), the irreducible lowest weight representation of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra is unitary for all lowest weights coming from a certain non-empty open set. This result together with the Kac determinant formula for the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra then allows the authors to completely classify unitary representations of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra for \(2\leq c\leq 98\). Specifically, they show that an irreducible lowest weight representation of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra at these central charges is unitary if and only if the first non-trivial Kac determinant (corresponding to the degree-\(1\) subspace of a Verma module) is non-negative. In an appendix, the authors present a proof that Verma modules for the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra with a PBW-type basis exist for any non-critical central charge and lowest weights, since they could not find a complete proof in the literature. They show that the action of the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra generators on an abstract PBW basis satisfies the \(\mathcal{W}_3\)-algebra relations by analytic continuation, since previous results in the paper show that simple unitary Verma modules exist for a non-empty open set of central charges and lowest weights.