Module Categories of the Generic Virasoro VOA and Quantum Groups

TL;DR

This paper establishes a categorical equivalence between modules of the generic Virasoro VOA and quantum group modules, revealing deep connections between conformal field theory and quantum algebra.

Contribution

It proves the equivalence of ribbon tensor categories for the generic Virasoro VOA and quantum groups, providing an elementary proof based on prior intertwining operator results.

Findings

Categorical equivalence between Virasoro VOA modules and quantum group modules.

Ribbon tensor category structures are preserved under this equivalence.

Extension to $C_{1}$-cofinite modules and tensor products of quantum groups.

Abstract

In this paper, we prove the equivalence between two ribbon tensor categories. On the one hand, we consider the category of modules of the Virasoro vertex operator algebra with generic central charge (generic Virasoro VOA) generated by those simple modules lying in the first row of the Kac table. On the other hand, we take the category of finite-dimensional type I modules of the quantum group $\mathcal{U}_q (\mathfrak{sl}_{2})$ with $q$ determined by the central charge. This is a continuation of our previous work in which we examined intertwining operators for the generic Virasoro VOA in detail. Our strategy to show the categorical equivalence is to take those results as input and directly compare the structures of tensor categories. Therefore, we are to execute the most elementary proof of categorical equivalence. We also study the category of $C_{1}$-cofinite modules of the generic Virasoro VOA. We show that it is ribbon equivalent to the category of finite-dimensional type I modules of $\mathcal{U}_q (\mathfrak{sl}_{2})\otimes \mathcal{U}_{\tilde{q}}(\mathfrak{sl}_{2})$, where $q$ and $\tilde{q}$ are again related to the central charge.