On formal codegrees of fusion categories (Q971485)

Let \((R, B)\) be a based ring with basis \(B\) over \(\mathbb Z\) and anti-involution \(r \mapsto \tilde r\). For an irreducible representation \(E\) of \(R\), the element \(\alpha_E : = \sum_{b \in B} \text{Tr}(b, E) \tilde b\) acts as a scalar \(f_E\) on \(E\) and it acts as zero on any other irreducible representation \(E' \neq E\). The scalar \(f_E\), which is an algebraic integer, is called the formal codegree of \(E\). The formal codegrees of a multi-fusion category are thus the formal codegrees of its Grothendieck ring, with standard basis consisting of isomorphism classes of simple objects. The main result of this paper states that a formal codegree in a multi-fusion category (over the complex numbers) is a \(d\)-number, that is, the ideal it generates in the ring of algebraic integers in invariant under the action of the absolute Galois group \(\text{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb Q}/ \mathbb Q)\). As corollaries, it is shown that the Frobenius-Perron dimension and the global dimension of a fusion category are \(d\)-numbers. Another consequence is that, in a braided fusion category, the squared norm of a simple object is a \(d\)-number. The main result imposes as well new restrictions on the Grothendieck ring of a multi-fusion category, in particular, some examples of fusion rings which admit no categorification, in the sense that they are not isomorphic as based rings to the Grothendieck ring of a fusion category, are given. These strengthen previous results of \textit{P. Etingof, D. Nikshych} and the author [Ann. Math. (2) 162, No.~2, 581--642 (2005; Zbl 1125.16025)].