Yi-Zhi Huang

The theory of vertex operator algebras and their representations has been showing its power in the solution of concrete mathematical problems and in the understanding of conceptual but subtle mathematical and physical struc­ tures of conformal field theories. Much of the recent progress has deep connec­ tions with complex analysis and conformal geometry. Future developments, especially constructions and studies of higher-genus theories, will need a solid geometric theory of vertex operator algebras. Back in 1986, Manin already observed in [Man) that the quantum theory of (super )strings existed (in some sense) in two entirely different mathematical fields. Under canonical quantization this theory appeared to a mathematician as the representation theories of the Heisenberg, Vir as oro and affine Kac­ Moody algebras and their superextensions. Quantization with the help of the Polyakov path integral led on the other hand to the analytic theory of algebraic (super ) curves and their moduli spaces, to invariants of the type of the analytic curvature, and so on. He pointed out further that establishing direct mathematical connections between these two forms of a single theory was a "big and important problem. " On the one hand, the theory of vertex operator algebras and their repre­ sentations unifies (and considerably extends) the representation theories of the Heisenberg, Virasoro and Kac-Moody algebras and their superextensions.

Two-Dimensional Conformal Geometry and Vertex Operator Algebras

James Lepowsky

Kailash C. Misra

Robert L. Wilson

The articles in this book are based on talks given at the international conference ""Lie algebras, vertex operator algebras and their applications"", in honor of James Lepowsky and Robert Wilson on their sixtieth birthdays, held in May of 2005 at North Carolina State University. Some of the papers in this volume give inspiring expositions on the development and status of their respective research areas. Others outline and explore the challenges as well as the future directions of research for the twenty-first century. The focus of the papers in this volume is mainly on Lie algebras, quantum groups, vertex operator algebras and their applications to number theory, combinatorics and conformal field theory. This book is useful for graduate students and researchers in mathematics and mathematical physics who want to be introduced to different areas of current research or explore the frontiers of research in the areas mentioned above.

International Conference in Honor of James Lepowsky and Robert Wilson on Their Sixtieth Birthdays, May 17-21, 2005, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Lie Algebras, Vertex Operator Algebras and Their Applications

Stephen Berman

Paul Fendley

Kailash Misra

Brian Parshall

Because of its many applications to mathematics and mathematical physics, the representation theory of infinite-dimensional Lie and quantized enveloping algebras comprises an important area of current research. This volume includes articles from the proceedings of an international conference, ""Infinite-Dimensional Lie Theory and Conformal Field Theory"", held at the University of Virginia. Many of the contributors to the volume are prominent researchers in the field.This conference provided an opportunity for mathematicians and physicists to interact in an active research area of mutual interest. The talks focused on recent developments in the representation theory of affine, quantum affine, and extended affine Lie algebras and Lie superalgebras. They also highlighted applications to conformal field theory, integrable and disordered systems. Some of the articles are expository and accessible to a broad readership of mathematicians and physicists interested in this area; others are research articles that are appropriate for more advanced readers.

Proceedings of an International Conference on Infinite-dimensional Lie Theory and Conformal Field Theory, May 23-27, 2000, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Recent Developments in Infinite-dimensional Lie Algebras and Conformal Field Theory

Igor Frenkel

The notion of vertex operator algebra arises naturally in the vertex operator construction of the Monster - the largest sporadic finite simple group. From another perspective, the theory of vertex operator algebras and their modules forms the algebraic foundation of conformal field theory. Vertex operator algebras and conformal field theory are now known to be deeply related to many important areas of mathematics. This essentially self-contained monograph develops the basic axiomatic theory of vertex operator algebras and their modules and intertwining operators, following a fundamental analogy with Lie algebra theory. The main axiom, the 'Jacobi(-Cauchy) identity', is a far-reaching analog of the Jacobi identity for Lie algebras.The authors show that the Jacobi identity is equivalent to suitably formulated rationality, commutativity, and associativity properties of products of quantum fields. A number of other foundational and useful results are also developed. This work was originally distributed as a preprint in 1989, and in view of the current widespread interest in the subject among mathematicians and theoretical physicists, its publication and availability should prove no less useful than when it was written.

Yi-Zhi Huang

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