On the representation theory of the vertex algebra L−5/2(sl(4))

We study the representation theory of non-admissible simple affine vertex algebra [Formula: see text]. We determine an explicit formula for the singular vector of conformal weight four in the universal affine vertex algebra [Formula: see text], and show that it generates the maximal ideal in [Formula: see text]. We classify irreducible [Formula: see text]-modules in the category [Formula: see text], and determine the fusion rules between irreducible modules in the category of ordinary modules [Formula: see text]. It turns out that this fusion algebra is isomorphic to the fusion algebra of [Formula: see text]. We also prove that [Formula: see text] is a semi-simple, rigid braided tensor category. In our proofs, we use the notion of collapsing level for the affine [Formula: see text]-algebra, and the properties of conformal embedding [Formula: see text] at level [Formula: see text] from D. Adamovic et al. [Finite vs infinite decompositions in conformal embeddings, Comm. Math. Phys. 348 (2016) 445–473.]. We show that [Formula: see text] is a collapsing level with respect to the subregular nilpotent element [Formula: see text], meaning that the simple quotient of the affine [Formula: see text]-algebra [Formula: see text] is isomorphic to the Heisenberg vertex algebra [Formula: see text]. We prove certain results on vanishing and non-vanishing of cohomology for the quantum Hamiltonian reduction functor [Formula: see text]. It turns out that the properties of [Formula: see text] are more subtle than in the case of minimal reduction.

Quantum fluctuations of the metric, three-geometries and conformal embeddings in four-manifolds

In this paper, connections between the path integrals for four-dimensional quantum gravity and string theory are emphasized. It is shown that there is a natural relation between these two path integrals based on the theorems on embeddings of two-dimensional surfaces in four dimensions and four-dimensional manifolds in ten dimensions. The isometry groups of the three-geometries that are spatial hypersurfaces confomally embedded in the four-manifolds are required to be subgroups of [Formula: see text], which is the invariance group of the Pfaffian differential system satisfied by one form in the cotangent bundles on the four-manifolds. Based on this and other physical conditions, the three-geometries are restricted to be [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] with a boundary, which may be included in the quantum gravitational path integral over four-manifolds which are closed at initial times followed by an exponential expansion compatible with supersymmetry.

Exceptional Chern-Simons-Matter dualities

We use conformal embeddings involving exceptional affine Kac-Moody algebras to derive new dualities of three-dimensional topological field theories. These generalize the familiar level-rank duality of Chern-Simons theories based on classical gauge groups to the setting of exceptional gauge groups. For instance, one duality sequence we discuss is (E_{N})_{1}\leftrightarrow SU(9-N)_{-1}(EN)1↔SU(9−N)−1. Others such as SO(3)_{8}\leftrightarrow PSU(3)_{-6},SO(3)8↔PSU(3)−6, are dualities among theories with classical gauge groups that arise due to their embedding into an exceptional chiral algebra. We apply these equivalences between topological field theories to conjecture new boson-boson Chern-Simons-matter dualities. We also use them to determine candidate phase diagrams of time-reversal invariant G_{2}G2 gauge theory coupled to either an adjoint fermion, or two fundamental fermions.

An Application of Collapsing Levels to the Representation Theory of Affine Vertex Algebras

We discover a large class of simple affine vertex algebras $V_{k} ({\mathfrak{g}})$, associated to basic Lie superalgebras ${\mathfrak{g}}$ at non-admissible collapsing levels $k$, having exactly one irreducible ${\mathfrak{g}}$-locally finite module in the category ${\mathcal O}$. In the case when ${\mathfrak{g}}$ is a Lie algebra, we prove a complete reducibility result for $V_k({\mathfrak{g}})$-modules at an arbitrary collapsing level. We also determine the generators of the maximal ideal in the universal affine vertex algebra $V^k ({\mathfrak{g}})$ at certain negative integer levels. Considering some conformal embeddings in the simple affine vertex algebras $V_{-1/2} (C_n)$ and $V_{-4}(E_7)$, we surprisingly obtain the realization of non-simple affine vertex algebras of types $B$ and $D$ having exactly one nontrivial ideal.