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Roberto Longo

Publications and source records attributed to Roberto Longo.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2013

Superconformal nets and noncommutative geometry

This paper provides a further step in our program of studying superconformal nets over S^1 from the point of view of noncommutative geometry. For any such net A and any family Delta of localized endomorphisms of the even part A^gamma of A, we define the locally convex differentiable algebra A_Delta with respect to a natural Dirac operator coming from supersymmetry. Having determined its structure and properties, we study the family of spectral triples and JLO entire cyclic cocycles associated to elements in Delta and show that they are nontrivial and that the cohomology classes of the cocycles corresponding to inequivalent endomorphisms can be separated through their even or odd index pairing with K-theory in various cases. We illustrate some of those cases in detail with superconformal nets associated to well-known CFT models, namely super-current algebra nets and super-Virasoro nets. All in all, the result allows us to encode parts of the representation theory of the net in terms of noncommutative geometry.

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arXiv2012

How to add a boundary condition

Given a conformal QFT local net of von Neumann algebras B_2 on the two-dimensional Minkowski spacetime with irreducible subnet A\otimes\A, where A is a completely rational net on the left/right light-ray, we show how to consistently add a boundary to B_2: we provide a procedure to construct a Boundary CFT net B of von Neumann algebras on the half-plane x>0, associated with A, and locally isomorphic to B_2. All such locally isomorphic Boundary CFT nets arise in this way. There are only finitely many locally isomorphic Boundary CFT nets and we get them all together. In essence, we show how to directly redefine the C* representation of the restriction of B_2 to the half-plane by means of subfactors and local conformal nets of von Neumann algebras on S^1.

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arXiv2012

Thermal States in Conformal QFT. I

We analyze the set of locally normal KMS states w.r.t. the translation group for a local conformal net A of von Neumann algebras on R. In this first part, we focus on completely rational net A. Our main result here states that, if A is completely rational, there exists exactly one locally normal KMS state ϕ. Moreover, ϕis canonically constructed by a geometric procedure. A crucial rôle is played by the analysis of the "thermal completion net" associated with a locally normal KMS state. A similar uniqueness result holds for KMS states of two-dimensional local conformal nets w.r.t. the time-translation one-parameter group.

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arXiv2011

Boundary Quantum Field Theory on the Interior of the Lorentz Hyperboloid

We construct local, boost covariant boundary QFT nets of von Neumann algebras on the interior of the Lorentz hyperboloid LH = {x^2 - t^2 > R^2, x>0}, in the two-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Our first construction is canonical, starting with a local conformal net on the real line, and is analogous to our previous construction of local boundary CFT nets on the Minkowski half-space. This net is in a thermal state at Hawking temperature. Then, inspired by a recent construction by E. Witten and one of us, we consider a unitary semigroup that we use to build up infinitely many nets. Surprisingly, the one-particle semigroup is again isomorphic to the semigroup of symmetric inner functions of the disk. In particular, by considering the U(1)-current net, we can associate with any given symmetric inner function a local, boundary QFT net on LH. By considering different states, we shall also have nets in a ground state, rather than in a KMS state.

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arXiv2010

An Algebraic Construction of Boundary Quantum Field Theory

We build up local, time translation covariant Boundary Quantum Field Theory nets of von Neumann algebras A_V on the Minkowski half-plane M_+ starting with a local conformal net A of von Neumann algebras on the real line and an element V of a unitary semigroup E(A) associated with A. The case V=1 reduces to the net A_+ considered by Rehren and one of the authors; if the vacuum character of A is summable A_V is locally isomorphic to A_+. We discuss the structure of the semigroup E(A). By using a one-particle version of Borchers theorem and standard subspace analysis, we provide an abstract analog of the Beurling-Lax theorem that allows us to describe, in particular, all unitaries on the one-particle Hilbert space whose second quantization promotion belongs to of E(A^(0)) with A^(0) the U(1)-current net. Each such unitary is attached to a scattering function or, more generally, to a symmetric inner function. We then obtain families of models via any Buchholz-Mach-Todorov extension of A^(0). A further family of models comes from the Ising model.

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arXiv2010

On the Jones index values for conformal subnets

We consider the smallest values taken by the Jones index for an inclusion of local conformal nets of von Neumann algebras on S^1 and show that these values are quite more restricted than for an arbitrary inclusion of factors. Below 4, the only non-integer admissible value is 4\cos^2 π/10, which is known to be attained by a certain coset model. Then no index value is possible in the interval between 4 and 3 +\sqrt{3}. The proof of this result based on α-induction arguments. In the case of values below 4 we also give a second proof of the result. In the course of the latter proof we classify all possible unitary braiding symmetries on the A D E tensor categories, namely the ones associated with the even vertices of the A_n, D_{2n}, E_6, E_8 Dynkin diagrams.

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arXiv2009

Geometric modular action for disjoint intervals and boundary conformal field theory

In suitable states, the modular group of local algebras associated with unions of disjoint intervals in chiral conformal quantum field theory acts geometrically. We translate this result into the setting of boundary conformal QFT and interpret it as a relation between temperature and acceleration. We also discuss aspects ("mixing" and "charge splitting") of geometric modular action for unions of disjoint intervals in the vacuum state.

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arXiv2009

Spectral triples and the super-Virasoro algebra

We construct infinite dimensional spectral triples associated with representations of the super-Virasoro algebra. In particular the irreducible, unitary positive energy representation of the Ramond algebra with central charge c and minimal lowest weight h=c/24 is graded and gives rise to a net of even theta-summable spectral triples with non-zero Fredholm index. The irreducible unitary positive energy representations of the Neveu-Schwarz algebra give rise to nets of even theta-summable generalised spectral triples where there is no Dirac operator but only a superderivation.

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arXiv2008

Structure and Classification of Superconformal Nets

We study the general structure of Fermi conformal nets of von Neumann algebras on the circle, consider a class of topological representations, the general representations, that we characterize as Neveu-Schwarz or Ramond representations, in particular a Jones index can be associated with each of them. We then consider a supersymmetric general representation associated with a Fermi modular net and give a formula involving the Fredholm index of the supercharge operator and the Jones index. We then consider the net associated with the super-Virasoro algebra and discuss its structure. If the central charge c belongs to the discrete series, this net is modular by the work of F. Xu and we get an example where our setting is verified by considering the Ramond irreducible representation with lowest weight c/24. We classify all the irreducible Fermi extensions of any super-Virasoro net in the discrete series, thus providing a classification of all superconformal nets with central charge less than 3/2.

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arXiv2006

Nuclearity and Thermal States in Conformal Field Theory

We introduce a new type of spectral density condition, that we call L^2-nuclearity. One formulation concerns lowest weight unitary representations of SL(2,R) and turns out to be equivalent to the existence of characters. A second formulation concerns inclusions of local observable von Neumann algebras in Quantum Field Theory. We show the two formulations to agree in chiral Conformal QFT and, starting from the trace class condition for the semigroup generated by the conformal Hamiltonian L_0, we infer and naturally estimate the Buchholz-Wichmann nuclearity condition and the (distal) split property. As a corollary, if L_0 is log-elliptic, the Buchholz-Junglas set up is realized and so there exists a beta-KMS state for the translation dynamics on the net of C*-algebras for every inverse temperature beta>0. We include further discussions on higher dimensional spacetimes. In particular, we verify that L^2-nuclearity is satisfied for the scalar, massless Klein-Gordon field.

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arXiv2005

Notes for a Quantum Index Theorem

We view DHR superselection sectors with finite statistics as Quantum Field Theory analogs of elliptic operators where KMS functionals play the role of the trace composed with the heat kernel regularization. We extend our local holomorphic dimension formula and prove an analogue of the index theorem in the Quantum Field Theory context. The analytic index is the Jones index, more precisely the minimal dimension, and, on a 4-dimensional spacetime, the DHR theorem gives the integrality of the index. We introduce the notion of holomorphic dimension; the geometric dimension is then defined as the part of the holomorphic dimension which is symmetric under charge conjugation. We apply the AHKT theory of chemical potential and we extend it to the low dimensional case, by using conformal field theory. Concerning Quantum Field Theory on curved spacetime, the geometry of the manifold enters in the expression for the dimension. If a quantum black hole is described by a spacetime with bifurcate Killing horizon and sectors are localizable on the horizon, the logarithm of the holomorphic dimension is proportional to the incremental free energy, due to the addition of the charge, and to the inverse temperature, hence to the surface gravity in the Hartle-Hawking KMS state. For this analysis we consider a conformal net obtained by restricting the field to the horizon (``holography''). Compared with our previous work on Rindler spacetime, this result differs inasmuch as it concerns true black hole spacetimes, like the Schwarzschild-Kruskal manifold, and pertains to the entropy of the black hole itself, rather than of the outside system. An outlook concerns a possible relation with supersymmetry and noncommutative geometry.

math.OA↗
arXiv2005

Local conformal nets arising from framed vertex operator algebras

We apply an idea of framed vertex operator algebras to a construction of local conformal nets of (injective type III_1) factors on the circle corresponding to various lattice vertex operator algebras and their twisted orbifolds. In particular, we give a local conformal net corresponding to the moonshine vertex operator algebras of Frenkel-Lepowsky-Meurman. Its central charge is 24, it has a trivial representation theory in the sense that the vacuum sector is the only irreducible DHR sector, its vacuum character is the modular invariant J-function and its automorphism group (the gauge group) is the Monster group. We use our previous tools such as alpha-induction and complete rationality to study extensions of local conformal nets.

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arXiv2004

Noncommutative Spectral Invariants and Black Hole Entropy

We consider an intrinsic entropy associated with a local conformal net A by the coefficients in the expansion of the logarithm of the trace of the ``heat kernel'' semigroup. In analogy with Weyl theorem on the asymptotic density distribution of the Laplacian eigenvalues, passing to a quantum system with infinitely many degrees of freedom, we regard these coefficients as noncommutative geometric invariants. Under a natural modularity assumption, the leading term of the entropy (noncommutative area) is proportional to the central charge c, the first order correction (noncommutative Euler characteristic) is proportional to logμ_A, where μ_A is the global index of A, and the second spectral invariant is again proportional to c. We give a further general method to define a mean entropy by considering conformal symmetries that preserve a discretization of S^1 and we get the same value proportional to c. We then make the corresponding analysis with the proper Hamiltonian associated to an interval. We find here, in complete generality, a proper mean entropy proportional to logμ_A with a first order correction defined by means of the relative entropy associated with canonical states. By considering a class of black holes with an associated conformal quantum field theory on the horizon, and relying on arguments in the literature, we indicate a possible way to link the noncommutative area with the Bekenstein-Hawking classical area description of entropy.

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arXiv2004

Local fields in boundary conformal QFT

Conformal field theory on the half-space x>0 of Minkowski space-time ("boundary CFT") is analyzed from an algebraic point of view, clarifying in particular the algebraic structure of local algebras and the bi-localized charge structure of local fields. The field content and the admissible boundary conditions are characterized in terms of a non-local chiral field algebra.

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arXiv2004

Topological Sectors and a Dichotomy in Conformal Field Theory

Let A be a local conformal net of factors on the circle with the split property. We provide a topological construction of soliton representations of the tensor product of n copies of A, that restrict to true representations of subnet inviant under cyclic permutations (cyclic orbifold). We prove a quantum index theorem for our sectors relating the Jones index to a topological degree. Then A is not completely rational iff the the cyclic orbifold has an irreducible representation with infinite index. This implies the following dichotomy: if all irreducible sectors of A have a conjugate sector then either A is completely rational or A has uncountably many different irreducible sectors. Thus A is rational iff A is completely rational. In particular, if the mu-index of A finite then A turns out to be strongly additive. By [KLM], if A is rational then the tensor category of representations of A is automatically modular, namely the braiding symmetry is non-degenerate. In interesting cases, we compute the fusion rules of the topological solitons and show that they determine all twisted sectors of the cyclic orbifold.

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arXiv2004

Solitons in Affine and Permutation Orbifolds

We consider properties of solitons in general orbifolds in the algebraic quantum field theory framework and constructions of solitons in affine and permutation orbifolds. Under general conditions we show that our construction gives all the twisted representations of the fixed point subnet. This allows us to prove a number of conjectures: in the affine orbifold case we clarify the issue of ``fixed point resolutions''; in the permutation orbifold case we determine all irreducible representations of the orbifold, and we also determine the fusion rules in a nontrivial case, which imply an integral property of chiral data for any completely rational conformal net.

math.OA↗
arXiv2003

Classification of Two-dimensional Local Conformal Nets with c<1 and 2-cohomology Vanishing for Tensor Categories

We classify two-dimensional local conformal nets with parity symmetry and central charge less than 1, up to isomorphism. The maximal ones are in a bijective correspondence with the pairs of A-D-E Dynkin diagrams with the difference of their Coxeter numbers equal to 1. In our previous classification of one-dimensional local conformal nets, Dynkin diagrams D_{2n+1} and E_7 do not appear, but now they do appear in this classification of two-dimensional local conformal nets. Such nets are also characterized as two-dimensional local conformal nets with mu-index equal to 1 and central charge less than 1. Our main tool, in addition to our previous classification results for one-dimensional nets, is 2-cohomology vanishing for certain tensor categories related to the Virasoro tensor categories with central charge less than 1.

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