Thermal states in conformal QFT. II (Q690741)

KMS states play a crucial role in quantum statistical mechanics and operator algebras, providing among other things a meaningful abstraction of thermodynamical equilibrium states on quantum systems. In this paper, the authors analyze the KMS states in the framework of algebraic quantum field theory. They conduct an extensive study of KMS states for chiral conformal nets over the real line \(\mathbb R\) with res\-pect to translations, dealing in detail with several important models and providing a complete classification of KMS states for completely rational nets. In fact, the paper is the continuation of a study by the authors started in [Commun. Math. Phys. 309, No. 3, 703--735 (2012; Zbl 1246.81317)], where locally normal KMS states are analyzed with respect to the translation group for a local conformal net \(\mathcal A\) of von Neumann algebras on \(\mathbb R\). Unlike the analysis in [loc. cit.], where \(\mathcal A\) is a completely rational local conformal net, now the authors examine the situation when \(\mathcal A\) is not completely rational. In contrast to the completely rational case, where it was proved the presence of only one locally normal state KMS with respect to translations on \(\mathcal A\), for any fixed inverse temperature \(\beta > 0\), now they have shown that there are non-rational nets with continuously many KMS states. The authors focus attention to two specific models. The first one is the free field, i.e., the net generated by the U(1)-current. In this model they classify all KMS states, showing that the primary (locally normal) KMS states of the U(1)-current net are in one-to-one correspondence with real numbers \(q \in \mathbb R\), with each state \(\varphi^q\) being uniquely and explicitly determined by its value on the current. The geometric KMS state is \(\varphi_{\text{geo}}=\varphi^0\) and with any other primary KMS state being obtained by composition of the geometric one with the automorphisms \(\gamma_q\) of the net: \(\varphi^q=\varphi_{\text{geo}} \circ \gamma_q\). The second model studied is the Virasoro net \(\text{Vir}_c\), the net generated by the stress-energy tensor with a given central charge \(c\). The authors were able to classify all KMS states in the case where the central charge \(c=1\). In particular, concerning the non-local case, the authors show that the free Fermi model admits a unique KMS state.