Vertex Operator Algebras And Related Areas

Vertex operator algebras were introduced to mathematics in the work of Richard Borcherds, Igor Frenkel, James Lepowsky and Arne Meurman as a mathematically rigorous formulation of chiral algebras of two-dimensional conformal field theory. The aim was to use vertex operator algebras to explain and prove the remarkable Monstrous Moonshine conjectures in group theory. The theory of vertex operator algebras has now grown into a major research area in mathematics. These proceedings contain expository lectures and research papers presented during the international conference on Vertex Operator Algebras and Related Areas, held at Illinois State University in Normal, IL, from July 7 to July 11, 2008. The main aspects of this conference were connections and interactions of vertex operator algebras with the following areas: conformal field theories, quantum field theories, Hopf algebra, infinite dimensional Lie algebras, and modular forms. This book will be useful for researchers as well as for graduate students in mathematics and physics. Its purpose is not only to give an up-to-date overview of the fields covered by the conference but also to stimulate new directions and discoveries by experts in the areas.

The rapidly-evolving theory of vertex operator algebras provides deep insight into many important algebraic structures. Vertex operator algebras can be viewed as "complex analogues" of both Lie algebras and associative algebras. The monograph is written in a n accessible and self-contained manner, with detailed proofs and with many examples interwoven through the axiomatic treatment as motivation and applications. It will be useful for research mathematicians and theoretical physicists working the such fields as representation theory and algebraic structure sand will provide the basis for a number of graduate courses and seminars on these and related topics.

* Introduces the fundamental theory of vertex operator algebras and its basic techniques and examples. * Begins with a detailed presentation of the theoretical foundations and proceeds to a range of applications. * Includes a number of new, original results and brings fresh perspective to important works of many other researchers in algebra, lie theory, representation theory, string theory, quantum field theory, and other areas of math and physics.

Vertex operator algebras are a class of algebras underlying a number of recent constructions, results, and themes in mathematics. These algebras can be understood as ''string-theoretic analogues'' of Lie algebras and of commutative associative algebras. They play fundamental roles in some of the most active research areas in mathematics and physics. Much recent progress in both physics and mathematics has benefited from cross-pollination between the physical and mathematical points of view. This book presents the proceedings from the workshop, ''Vertex Operator Algebras in Mathematics and Physics'', held at The Fields Institute. It consists of papers based on many of the talks given at the conference by leading experts in the algebraic, geometric, and physical aspects of vertex operator algebra theory. The book is suitable for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in the major themes and important developments on the frontier of research in vertex operator algebra theory and its applications in mathematics and physics.

This volume contains the proceedings of the conference on Lie Algebras, Vertex Operator Algebras, and Related Topics, celebrating the 70th birthday of James Lepowsky and Robert Wilson, held from August 14–18, 2015, at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. Since their seminal work in the 1970s, Lepowsky and Wilson, their collaborators, their students, and those inspired by their work, have developed an amazing body of work intertwining the fields of Lie algebras, vertex algebras, number theory, theoretical physics, quantum groups, the representation theory of finite simple groups, and more. The papers presented here include recent results and descriptions of ongoing research initiatives representing the broad influence and deep connections brought about by the work of Lepowsky and Wilson and include a contribution by Yi-Zhi Huang summarizing some major open problems in these areas, in particular as they pertain to two-dimensional conformal field theory.

The articles in this book are based on talks given at the international conference 'Lie algebras, vertex operator algebras and their applications'. The focus of the papers is mainly on Lie algebras, quantum groups, vertex operator algebras and their applications to number theory, combinatorics and conformal field theory.

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.

Vertex algebras are algebraic objects that encapsulate the concept of operator product expansion from two-dimensional conformal field theory. Vertex algebras are fast becoming ubiquitous in many areas of modern mathematics, with applications to representation theory, algebraic geometry, the theory of finite groups, modular functions, topology, integrable systems, and combinatorics. This book is an introduction to the theory of vertex algebras with a particular emphasis on the relationship with the geometry of algebraic curves. The notion of a vertex algebra is introduced in a coordinate-independent way, so that vertex operators become well defined on arbitrary smooth algebraic curves, possibly equipped with additional data, such as a vector bundle. Vertex algebras then appear as the algebraic objects encoding the geometric structure of various moduli spaces associated with algebraic curves. Therefore they may be used to give a geometric interpretation of various questions of representation theory. The book contains many original results, introduces important new concepts, and brings new insights into the theory of vertex algebras. The authors have made a great effort to make the book self-contained and accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Reviewers of the first edition anticipated that it would have a long-lasting influence on this exciting field of mathematics and would be very useful for graduate students and researchers interested in the subject. This second edition, substantially improved and expanded, includes several new topics, in particular an introduction to the Beilinson-Drinfeld theory of factorization algebras and the geometric Langlands correspondence.