Spectral triples and the super-Virasoro algebra (Q981705)

The authors construct spectral triples associated with representations of the super-Virasoro algebra, a step in the ``non-commutative geometrization'' programme for Conformal Field Theory. A \textit{spectral triple} is a triple \((\mathfrak{A},\mathcal{H},Q)\) consisting of a (\(\mathbb{Z}_2 \)-)graded Hilbert space \(\mathcal{H}\), a graded unital *-algebra \(\mathfrak{A} \subseteq B(\mathcal{H})\) and an odd self-adjoint operator \(Q\) such that \(\mathfrak{A}\) is contained in the domain of the super-derivation \(\delta = [Q,-]\), and \(\exp(-\beta Q^2)\) is traceable for all \(\beta > 0\). When \(\delta(\mathfrak{A}) \subseteq \mathfrak{A}\), the triple \((\mathfrak{A},\mathcal{H},Q)\) is referred to as a \textit{quantum algebra}. This definition is essentially a generalization of the one given in the even case by \textit{A. Connes} [Noncommutative geometry. San Diego, CA: Academic Press (1994; Zbl 0818.46076)]. The first main result concerns representations of the Ramond algebra. Let \(\lambda\) be a unitary, positive energy representation on which the even element \(L_0\) is diagonalisable with finite-dimensional eigenspaces. (In particular these conditions are satisfied for the irreducible graded unitary lowest weight representations.) Under the condition that \(\exp(-\beta L_0^2)\) acts as a traceable operator for all \(\beta > 0\), the authors construct a net \((\mathfrak{A}_{\lambda}(I),\mathcal{H}_{\lambda},Q_\lambda)\) of quantum algebras on \(S^1\). Here, \(\mathcal{H}_{\lambda}\) is the Hilbert space completion of the representation space of \(\lambda\), \(Q_\lambda\) is given by the action of the degree zero odd element \(G_0\), and \(\mathfrak{A}_\lambda(I)\) (with \(I \subseteq S^1\) an interval) is the intersection of the local von Neumann algebras with the domain of the super-derivation defined by \(Q_\lambda\). This construction can be interpreted as a non-commutative geometric structure associated with superconformal quantum field theories. The second main result is a similar construction for the Neveu-Schwarz algebra. In that case, the essential difficulty lies in the fact that there is no super-charge operator \(Q\), even though the corresponding super-derivation \(\delta\) can still be defined. The authors define a notion of \textit{generalised quantum algebra} adapted to this situation, and construct as above a rotation covariant net of generalised quantum algebras on the double cover of \(S^1\), associated with a positive-energy representation. It is also noted that this does not extend to a net on \(S^1\) itself.