We consider unitary simple vertex operator algebras whose vertex operators satisfy certain energy bounds and a strong form of locality and call them strongly local. We present a general procedure which associates to every strongly local vertex operator algebra V a conformal net A_V acting on the Hilbert space completion of V and prove that the isomorphism class of A_V does not depend on the choice of the scalar product on V. We show that the class of strongly local vertex operator algebras is closed under taking tensor products and unitary subalgebras and that, for every strongly local vertex operator algebra V, the map W\mapsto A_W gives a one-to-one correspondence between the unitary subalgebras W of V and the covariant subnets of A_V. Many known examples of vertex operator algebras such as the unitary Virasoro vertex operator algebras, the unitary affine Lie algebras vertex operator algebras, the known c=1 unitary vertex operator algebras, the moonshine vertex operator algebra, together with their coset and orbifold subalgebras, turn out to be strongly local. We give various applications of our results. In particular we show that the even shorter Moonshine vertex operator algebra is strongly local and that the automorphism group of the corresponding conformal net is the Baby Monster group. We prove that a construction of Fredenhagen and Jörss gives back the strongly local vertex operator algebra V from the conformal net A_V and give conditions on a conformal net A implying that A= A_V for some strongly local vertex operator algebra V.
An important goal in studying the relations between unitary VOAs and conformal nets is to prove the equivalence of their ribbon categories. In this article, we prove this conjecture for many familiar examples. Our main idea is to construct new structures associated to conformal nets: the categorical extensions.
This article develops new techniques for understanding the relationship between the three different mathematical formulations of two-dimensional chiral conformal field theory: conformal nets (axiomatizing local observables), vertex operator algebras (axiomatizing fields), and Segal CFTs. It builds upon previous work which introduced a geometric interpolation procedure for constructing conformal nets from VOAs via Segal CFT, simultaneously relating all three frameworks. In this article, we extend this construction to study the relationship between the representation theory of conformal nets and…
We consider KMS states on a local conformal net on the unit circle with respect to rotations. We prove that, if the conformal net is of type I, namely if it admits only type I DHR representations, then the extremal KMS states are the Gibbs states in an irreducible representation. Completely rational nets, the U(1)-current net, the Virasoro nets and their finite tensor products are shown to be of type I. In the completely rational case, we also give a direct proof that all factorial KMS states are Gibbs states.
We prove that finite-index conformal nets are fully dualizable objects in the 3-category of conformal nets. Therefore, assuming the cobordism hypothesis applies, there exists a local framed topological field theory whose value on the point is any finite-index conformal net. Along the way, we prove a Peter-Weyl theorem for defects between conformal nets, namely that the annular sector of a finite defect is the sum of every sector tensor its dual.
Conformal nets are a mathematical model for conformal field theory, and defects between conformal nets are a model for an interaction or phase transition between two conformal field theories. In the preceding paper of this series, we introduced a notion of composition, called fusion, between defects. We also described a notion of sectors between defects, modeling an interaction among or transformation between phase transitions, and defined fusion composition operations for sectors. In this paper we prove that altogether the collection of conformal nets, defects, sectors, and intertwiners, equi…
Conformal nets provides a mathematical model for conformal field theory. We define a notion of defect between conformal nets, formalizing the idea of an interaction between two conformal field theories. We introduce an operation of fusion of defects, and prove that the fusion of two defects is again a defect, provided the fusion occurs over a conformal net of finite index. There is a notion of sector (or bimodule) between two defects, and operations of horizontal and vertical fusion of such sectors. Our most difficult technical result is that the horizontal fusion of the vacuum sectors of two …
We construct families of ground state representations of the U(1)-current net and of the Virasoro nets Vir_c with central charge c >= 1. We show that these representations are not covariant with respect to the original dilations, and those on the U(1)-current net are not solitonic. Furthermore, by going to the dual net with respect to the ground state representations of Vir_c, we obtain a possibly new family of Möbius covariant nets on S^1.
For a given finite index inclusion of conformal nets $\mathcal{B}\subset \mathcal{A}$ and a group $G < \mathrm{Aut}(\mathcal{A}, \mathcal{B})$, we consider the induction and the restriction procedures for $G$-twisted representations. We define two induction procedures for $G$-twisted representations, which generalize the $α^{\pm}$-induction for DHR endomorphisms. One is defined with the opposite braiding on the category of $G$-twisted representations as in $α^-$-induction. The other is also defined with the braiding, but additionally with the $G$-equivariant structure on the Q-system associate…
We provide a complete classification of unitary subalgebras of even rank-one lattice vertex operator algebras. As a consequence of the correspondence between vertex operator algebras and conformal nets, we also obtain a complete classification of conformal subnets of even rank-one lattice conformal nets.
We show that any solitonic representation of a conformal (diffeomorphism covariant) net on S^1 has positive energy and construct an uncountable family of mutually inequivalent solitonic representations of any conformal net, using nonsmooth diffeomorphisms. On the loop group nets, we show that these representations induce representations of the subgroup of loops compactly supported in S^1 \ {-1} which do not extend to the whole loop group. In the case of the U(1)-current net, we extend the diffeomorphism covariance to the Sobolev diffeomorphisms D^s(S^1), s > 2, and show that the positive-energ…
Given an (irreducible) Mobius covariant net $\mathcal A$, we prove a Bisognano-Wichmann theorem for its categorical extension $\mathscr E^{\textrm{d}}$ associated to the braided $C^*$-tensor category $\textrm{Rep}^{\textrm{d}}(\mathcal A)$ of dualizable (more precisely "dualized") Mobius covariant $\mathcal A$-modules. As a closely related result, we prove a (modified) Bisognano-Wichmann theorem for any (possibly) non-local extension of $\mathcal A$ obtained by a $C^*$-Frobenius algebra $Q$ in $\textrm{Rep}^{\textrm{d}}(\mathcal A)$. As an application, we discuss the relation between the domai…
We show that all isomorphism classes of even rank Tambara-Yamagami categories arise as $\mathbb{Z}_2$-twisted representations of conformal nets. As a consequence, we show that their Drinfel'd centers are realized by (generalized) orbifolds of conformal nets associated with (self-dual) lattices. The quantum double subfactors of even rank Tambara-Yamagami categories are Bisch-Haagerup subfactors and we describe their (dual) principal graphs. For every abelian group of odd order the Drinfel'd centers of the associated Tambara-Yamagami categories give a fusion ring generalizing the Verlinde ring $…
We continue our study of the categories of quantum liquids started in a previous work. We combine local quantum symmetries with topological skeletons into a single mathematical theory of topological nets and defect nets. In particular, we introduce the notion of a topological net, which is motivated from and generalizes that of a conformal net, and the notion of a defect net which generalizes that of a defect between conformal nets. We give explicit examples of them. Moreover, we construct the category of topological $n$-nets with $k$-morphisms defined by defect $n$-nets of codimension $k$, an…
We explore new connections between the fields and local observables in two dimensional chiral conformal field theory. We show that in a broad class of examples, the von Neumann algebras of local observables (a conformal net) can be obtained from the fields (a unitary vertex operator algebra) via a continuous geometric interpolation procedure involving Graeme Segal's functorial definition of conformal field theory. In particular, we construct conformal nets from these unitary vertex operator algebras by showing that 'geometrically mollified' versions of the fields yield bounded, local operators…
Certain duality of relative entropy can fail for chiral conformal net with nontrivial representations. In this paper we quantify such statement by defining a quantity which measures the failure of such duality, and identify this quantity with relative entropy and global index associated with multi-interval subfactors for a large class of conformal nets. In particular we show that the duality holds for a large class of conformal nets if and only if they are holomorphic. The same argument also applies to CFT in two dimensions. In particular we show that the duality holds for a large class of CFT…
We present recent progress in theory of local conformal nets which is an operator algebraic approach to study chiral conformal field theory. We emphasize representation theoretic aspects and relations to theory of vertex operator algebras which gives a different and algebraic formulation of chiral conformal field theory.
We prove an equivalence between the following notions: (i) unitary Möbius vertex algebras, and (ii) Wightman conformal field theories on the circle (with finite-dimensional conformal weight spaces) satisfying an additional condition that we call uniformly bounded order. Reading this equivalence in one direction, we obtain new analytic and operator-theoretic information about vertex operators. In the other direction we characterize OPEs of Wightman fields and show they satisfy the axioms of a vertex algebra. As an application we establish new results linking unitary vertex operator algebras wit…
We prove the first nontrivial reconstruction theorem for modular tensor categories: the category associated to any twisted Drinfeld double of any finite group, can be realised as the representation category of a completely rational conformal net. We also show that any twisted double of a solvable group is the category of modules of a completely rational vertex operator algebra. In the process of doing this, we identify the 3-cocycle twist for permutation orbifolds of holomorphic conformal nets: unexpectedly, it can be nontrivial, and depends on the value of the central charge modulo 24. In add…
