Open-string vertex algebras, tensor categories and operads

DOI10.1007/S00220-004-1059-XMaRDI QIDQ2565618zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Publication date 28 September 2005

Published in Communications in Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0308248

braided category intertwining operator operad tensor category vertex algebra

Vertex operators; vertex operator algebras and related structures (17B69) Loop space machines and operads in algebraic topology (55P48) Infinite-dimensional groups and algebras motivated by physics, including Virasoro, Kac-Moody, (W)-algebras and other current algebras and their representations (81R10)

Abstract: We introduce notions of open-string vertex algebra, conformal open-string vertex algebra and variants of these notions. These are ``open-string-theoretic, ``noncommutative generalizations of the notions of vertex algebra and of conformal vertex algebra. Given an open-string vertex algebra, we show that there exists a vertex algebra, which we call the ``meromorphic center, inside the original algebra such that the original algebra yields a module and also an intertwining operator for the meromorphic center. This result gives us a general method for constructing open-string vertex algebras. Besides obvious examples obtained from associative algebras and vertex (super)algebras, we give a nontrivial example constructed from the minimal model of central charge c=1/2. We establish an equivalence between the associative algebras in the braided tensor category of modules for a suitable vertex operator algebra and the grading-restricted conformal open-string vertex algebras containing a vertex operator algebra isomorphic to the given vertex operator algebra. We also give a geometric and operadic formulation of the notion of grading-restricted conformal open-string vertex algebra, we prove two isomorphism theorems, and in particular, we show that such an algebra gives a projective algebra over what we call the ``Swiss-cheese partial operad.

Review text

The authors introduce ``open-string-theoretic and ``noncommutative generalizations of the notions of vertex operator algebra and conformal vertex algebra. The new objects are called open-string vertex algebra and conformal open-string vertex algebra. Using these algebras, the authors, in particular, solve the problem of constructing open-closed conformal field theories on the disks satisfying certain differentiability and meromorphicity conditions. Further, given an open-string vertex algebra, the authors show that there exists a vertex algebra, which the authors call the ``meromorphic center, inside the open-string vertex algebra such that the open-string vertex algebra yields a module and an intertwining operator for the meromorphic center. This is used to derive a general method of constructing open-string vertex algebras, which is illustrated in the paper by several (non-trivial) examples. The authors establish an equivalence between grading-restricted conformal open-string vertex algebras containing a suitable vertex operator algebra and associative algebras in the braided tensor category of modules for the vertex operator algebra. It turns out that under this equivalence the meromorphic center is contained in the intersection of the left and the right centers of the corresponding associative algebra. Finally, the authors give a geometric and operadic formulation of the notion of grading-restricted conformal open-string vertex algebra.

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