Kac--Moody current algebras of D = 2 massless gauge theories, their representations and applications

Journal Article · Sun Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4916(87)90081-9· OSTI ID:6732248

Craigie, N S; Nahm, W; Narain, K S

We give a classification of the Kac--Moody current algebras of all the possible massless fermion-gauge theories in two dimensions. It is shown that only Kac--Moody algebras based on A/sub N/, B/sub N/, C/sub N/, and D/sub N/ in the Cartan classification with all possible central charge occur.The representation of local fermion fields and simply laced Kac--Moody algebras with minimal central charge in terms of free boson fields on a compactified space is discussed in detail, where stress is laid on the role played by the boundary conditions on the various collective modes. Fractional solitons and the possible soliton representation of certain nonsimply laced algebras is also analysed. We briefly discuss the relationship between the massless bound state sector of these two-dimensional gauge theories and the critically coupled two-dimensional nonlinear sigma model, which share the same current algebra. Finally we briefly discuss the relevance of Sp(n) Kac--Moody algebras to the physics of monopole-fermion systems. copyright 1987 Academic Press, Inc.

• Research Organization: Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, der Universitaet Heidelberg, West Germany
• OSTI ID: 6732248
• Journal Information: Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States), Vol. 174:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CURRENT ALGEBRA
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
BOSONS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
FERMIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
MONOPOLES
PARTITION FUNCTIONS
SOLITONS
SP GROUPS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FUNCTIONS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LIE GROUPS
QUASI PARTICLES
SYMMETRY GROUPS
645201* - High Energy Physics- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical- General & Scattering Theory