Tensor Categories for Vertex Operator Superalgebra Extensions
Thomas Creutzig, Shashank Kanade, Robert McRae
Abstract
Let <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper V"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">V</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> be a vertex operator algebra with a category <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="script upper C"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-caligraphic" mathvariant="script">C</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\mathcal {C}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> of (generalized) modules that has vertex tensor category structure, and thus braided tensor category structure, and let <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> be a vertex operator (super)algebra extension of <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper V"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">V</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> . We employ tensor categories to study untwisted (also called local) <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -modules in <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="script upper C"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-caligraphic" mathvariant="script">C</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\mathcal {C}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> , using results of Huang-Kirillov-Lepowsky that show that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is a (super)algebra object in <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="script upper C"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-caligraphic" mathvariant="script">C</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\mathcal {C}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> and that generalized <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -modules in <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="script upper C"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-caligraphic" mathvariant="script">C</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\mathcal {C}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> correspond exactly to local modules for the corresponding (super)algebra object. Both categories, of local modules for a <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="script upper C"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi class="MJX-tex-caligraphic" mathvariant="script">C</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\mathcal {C}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -algebra and (under suitable conditions) of generalized <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -modules, have natural braided monoidal category structure, given in the first case by Pareigis and Kirillov-Ostrik and in the second case by Huang-Lepowsky-Zhang. Our main result is that the Huang-Kirillov-Lepowsky isomorphism of categories between local (super)algebra modules and extended vertex operator (super)algebra modules is also an isomorphism of braided monoidal (super)categories. Using this result, we show that induction from a suitable subcategory of <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper V"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">V</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -modules to <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -modules is a vertex tensor functor. Two applications are given: First, we derive Verlinde formulae for regular vertex operator superalgebras and regular <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="one half double-struck upper Z"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mfrac> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mfrac> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">Z</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\frac {1}{2}\mathbb {Z}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -graded vertex operator algebras by realizing them as (super)algebra objects in the vertex tensor categories of their even and <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="double-struck