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# Dualities and Vertex Operator Algebras of Affine Type

## 1. Introduction

In this paper we discuss a duality-like property for the rank two affine Lie algebras $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$, whose representation theories are to a certain extent prototypical for the representation theory of all the untwisted respectively twisted affine Lie algebras. These two algebras have therefore been intensely studied during the past three decades (cf., e.g., \[Ca\], \[LM\], \[LW\], \[MP1\], \[MP2\]).

By abuse of notations we let $`\mathrm{\Lambda }_0`$ and $`\mathrm{\Lambda }_1`$ denote the fundamental weights for both algebra $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and algebra $`A_2^{(2)}`$. Let also $`F_{(s_1,s_2)}`$ be the $`(s_1,s_2)`$-specialization homomorphism (see §2.1 for notations). We start by noticing that for any positive integer $`k`$ the number of level $`k`$ standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules is the same as the number of level $`2k+1`$ standard $`A_2^{(2)}`$-modules, namely $`k+1`$. The central theme of the paper is then the following 1-1 correspondence between the set of level $`k`$ standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules $`𝒪_1(k):=\{L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$ and the set $`\{L_{k_0,2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$ of level $`2k+1`$ standard $`A_2^{(2)}`$-modules:

$`F_{(1,2)}(e^{\left(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(kk_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1\right)}\text{ch}`$ $`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)}))`$ (1.1)
$`=P(q)^1F_{(1,1)}\left(e^{(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(2k+12k_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1)}\text{ch}L_{k_0,2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})\right),`$
where $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$ and $`P(q)=_{n\pm 1mod6}(1q^n)^1𝐙[[q]]`$.

The identities in (1.1) are obtained in §2.2 by means of the Lepowsky-Wakimoto product formulas for suitable specializations of the Weyl-Kac character formula for standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$\- and $`A_2^{(2)}`$-modules respectively. These product formulas are consequences of the techniques developed in \[L1\], \[LM\], \[W\], which were based mainly on the fact that the generalized Cartan matrices (GCMs) of $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$ are conjugate. However, there is reason to believe that the identities in (1.1) are in fact consequences of a representation-theoretical phenomenon that lies deeper than initially indicated by the above-mentioned conjugation property and product formulas. Indeed, the correspondences in (1.1) may actually hint at a new kind of duality between appropriately defined module categories for $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$, such as the category generated by the standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules of level $`k`$ and the category generated by the standard $`A_2^{(2)}`$-modules of level $`2k+1`$. These categories may be equivalently defined as the categories of level $`k`$, respectively level $`2k+1`$, integrable modules from the BGG category $`𝒪`$ for $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$ respectively (cf. \[K1\]). The objects in the category generated by the standard modules of level $`l`$ for an untwisted affine Lie algebra $`\widehat{𝔤}`$ are finite direct sums of standard $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-modules of level $`l`$. This category is particularly important from the viewpoint of WZNW models in conformal field theory and related mathematics (see, e.g., \[DL1\], \[EFK\], \[HL\]).

As we note at the end at §2.2, purely Lie-algebraic considerations alone do not seem sufficient for finding satisfactory representation-theoretical explanations for the correspondences in (1.1). We therefore propose a different yet natural approach, namely by using the representation theory of (generalized) vertex operator algebras ((G)VOAs).

Let $`\sigma `$ be the principal automorphism of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ (see \[LW\]) and denote by $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ the principal realization of $`A_2^{(2)}`$ viewed as a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-graded affine Kac-Moody Lie algebra. Then the twisted affinization $`\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]`$ of the principal Cartan subalgebra (CSA) $`𝔰`$ of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ is the principal Heisenberg subalgebra of $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$, whose representation theory explains in a natural way the presence of the factor $`P(q)`$ in (1.1). Indeed, the graded dimension of the twisted Fock space representation at level $`2k+1`$ of $`\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]`$ is exactly $`P(q^{1/6})`$. Therefore, if $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ denotes the vacuum subspace of $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)`$ for the action of $`\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]`$ and $`𝒪_2(k):=\{\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$, we get a bijection $`\varphi _k:𝒪_1(k)𝒪_2(k)`$ such that $`\varphi _k\left(L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)=\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ and (1.1) may be rewritten as

$$F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(kk_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1)}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{6}}}=dim_{}\varphi _k\left(L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right),k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\},$$
(1.2)
where $`dim_{}`$ denotes the graded dimension (cf. Theorem 2.2.1). From the viewpoint of representation theory, it is natural to ask whether $`𝒪_1(k)`$ and $`𝒪_2(k)`$ are the same set of (inequivalent) simple graded objects in a semisimple category induced by the “equal level” representations of some algebraic structure (Problem 1). A weaker version of this question would be to ask whether there exists an algebraic structure for which the spaces $`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ are isomorphic irreducible graded modules for all $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$ (Problem 2). We conjecture that the answer to both these questions is affirmative, and we study various possibilities for such a structure.

Let $`\nu `$ be the $`(1,2)`$-specialization automorphism of $`𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$. It is known that $`V_k(A_1^{(1)}):=L(k\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_1^{(1)})`$ is a $`\nu `$-rational VOA and that $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$, are all its simple $`\nu `$-twisted modules (cf. Theorem 3.1.5). Although there are several ways of interpreting appropriate modifications of the left-hand side of (1.1), the most natural one appears to be that of the $`q`$-trace $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q)`$ of the simple $`\nu `$-twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$-module $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$ (Theorem 3.2.1).

In order to get similar interpretations of the right-hand side of (1.1), we first construct a certain VOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0L((2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_2^{(1)})`$. This is done by means of the coset (or commutant) construction associated to the irreducible Fock space representation $`M(2k+1)V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)}):=L((2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_2^{(1)})`$ of the Heisenberg algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}A_2^{(1)}`$. The VOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ is actually a subspace of the vacuum space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})`$ for the action of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}`$, and the vacuum spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ defined above are $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-modules. When modified appropriately, the right-hand side of (1.1) becomes the $`q`$-trace $`f_{k_0,2k+1}(q)`$ of the $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-module $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ (Theorem 3.2.5). Identity (1.2) may then be written as $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q^{1/2})=f_{k_0,2k+1}(q)`$, so that in fact the equality is achieved only up to the transformation $`qq^{1/2}`$. In addition to that, both the ranks of the VOAs $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ and the orders of the automorphisms $`\nu \text{Aut}\left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})\right)`$ and $`\sigma \text{Aut}\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0\right)`$ differ by the same factor 2. By using the recently developed permutation orbifold theory (\[BDM\]), we can arrange to remove these differences. We endow $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ with a suitable VOA structure such that $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ is $`\tau `$-rational and the level $`k`$ standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules are all its simple $`\tau `$-twisted modules, where $`\tau `$ is a certain order 6 automorphism of $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$. Then the $`q`$-trace $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\tau (q)`$ of the irreducible $`\tau `$-twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$-module $`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})`$ coincides with $`f_{k_0,2k+1}(q)`$ and $`\text{rank}V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2=\text{rank}\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ (Theorem 3.2.7). Obviously, if $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ were to fulfill the requirements of Problem 1 then it would have to satisfy a rationality-like condition. The fact that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ is not actually rational (cf. Remark 3.2.4 (i)) would therefore suggest that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ may be more appropriate for a solution to Problem 2 rather than Problem 1. However, this doesn’t necessarily rule out $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ as a potential solution to Problem 1 as a VOA $`V`$ may be $`\sigma `$-rational for some $`\sigma \text{Aut}(V)`$ without being rational itself (cf. \[DN\]).

Several questions arise naturally at this stage. One of these is whether $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$, $`k_0=0,1,\mathrm{},k`$, are irreducible $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-modules. Although the results of \[DM\] seem to indicate that this is actually true, for our purposes one would still have to deal with the question whether $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ and $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ are related by some VOA homomorphism. As we point out in the Appendix (for the case $`k=1`$), these VOAs are definitely not isomorphic. Besides, the fact that $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ contains weight one vectors while $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ does not is also rather inconvenient in this context. We choose therefore to embed $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ into a larger structure, namely a simple GVOA in the sense of \[DL1\] which we denote by $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ (Theorem 4.4.3). This is done in Section 4. In addition to the fact that it certainly contains weight one vectors, we can also prove that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ acts irreducibly on the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ without altering the $`q`$-traces $`f_{k_0,2k+1}(q)`$ (Theorem 4.4.8). As we explain at the end of §4.4, the GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ appears to be a more appropriate object than the VOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ for further investigating Problem 1. Actually, the techniques that we use in Section 4 seem in fact flexible enough to allow the construction of structures even larger than $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ that still satisfy the same properties (cf. Remark 4.4.9). Moreover, these techniques are easily adapted to a more general situation, and they may therefore be useful for an axiomatic study of the (yet-to-be-defined) notion of “twisted module” for a GVOA. The appropriate axiomatic setting once developed, the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ should provide natural examples of simple “twisted modules” for the GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$.

The construction of $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ and its action on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ are based on the theory of relative vertex operators and the $`𝒵`$-algebra theory developed in \[DL1\], \[DL2\], \[LW\]. It would be interesting to see whether structures and techniques such as simple current extensions of VOAs and intertwining operator algebras – introduced in \[DL1\], \[DL2\], \[DLiM3\], \[HL\], \[Li3\], \[Li4\] – provide additional tools for a continuation of the present work. Finally, one should also investigate whether similar duality-like properties hold for affine Lie algebras of higher ranks.

This paper is organized as follows: in §2.1 we recall some basic facts about affine Lie algebras; in §2.2 we prove (1.2) and formulate the problems that we study in Sections 3 and 4. In §3.1 we review the results on GVOAs and their modules that we need for §3.2, where we construct the VOAs $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$, $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$, and $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ and reinterpret (1.2) in terms of the representation theory of these VOAs. In §4.1-§4.3 we change the setting by adapting the theories developed in \[DL1\] and \[DL2\] to our particular case. In §4.4 we use this new setting to embed $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ into the GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ and to prove that the latter acts irreducibly on the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ without altering their $`q`$-traces.

Throughout this paper we shall use $`𝐍`$ for the nonnegative integers, $`𝐙_+`$ for the positive integers, $`𝐐_0`$ for the nonnegative rational numbers, and $`𝐂^\times `$ for the nonzero complex numbers.

Acknowledgements. I would like to thank Chongying Dong, Mirko Primc, and Arne Meurman for useful suggestions and discussions, and the referee for his patience and constructive criticism.

## 2. A duality-like property for rank two affine Lie algebras

We first introduce a few notations and review some standard material on affine Lie algebras and their highest weight modules (further details may be found in e.g. \[K1\], \[L1\]). We then concentrate on the rank two affine Lie algebras and formulate the problems that we study in Sections 3 and 4.

### 2.1. Preliminaries and notations

Let $`𝔤`$ be a finite-dimensional simple complex Lie algebra. Fix a CSA $`𝔱`$ of $`𝔤`$ and let $`\mu `$ be an automorphism of $`𝔤`$ of order $`r`$ ($`=1,2,`$ or 3) induced by an automorphism of order $`r`$ of the Dynkin diagram of $`𝔤`$ with respect to $`𝔱`$. Let $`\epsilon `$ be a primitive $`r`$-th root of unity and denote by $`𝔤_{[i]}`$ the $`\epsilon ^i`$-eigenspace of $`\mu `$ in $`𝔤`$, $`i𝐙_r`$. Then the fixed set $`𝔤_{[0]}`$ is a simple subalgebra of $`𝔤`$, the space $`𝔟:=𝔤_{[0]}𝔱`$ is a CSA of $`𝔤_{[0]}`$, and the $`𝔤_{[0]}`$-modules $`𝔤_{[1]}`$ and $`𝔤_{[1]}`$ are irreducible and contragredient. Set $`l=\text{rank}𝔤_{[0]}`$, and let $`\{\beta _1,\mathrm{},\beta _l\}𝔟^{}`$ be a root basis of $`𝔤_{[0]}`$ and $`\{E_j,F_j,H_jj\{1,\mathrm{},l\}\}`$ a corresponding set of canonical generators of $`𝔤_{[0]}`$. Let $`\beta _0𝔟^{}`$ be the lowest weight of the $`𝔤_{[0]}`$-module $`𝔤_{[1]}`$, and let $`E_0`$ and $`F_0`$ be a lowest weight vector of the $`𝔤_{[0]}`$-module $`𝔤_{[1]}`$ respectively a highest weight vector of the $`𝔤_{[0]}`$-module $`𝔤_{[1]}`$. We assume that $`E_0`$ and $`F_0`$ are normalized so that $`[H_0,E_0]=2E_0`$, where $`H_0=[E_0,F_0]`$. For $`i,j\{0,1,\mathrm{},l\}`$ define $`a_{ij}=\beta _j(H_i)`$ and denote by $`A`$ the matrix $`(a_{ij})_{i,j=0}^l`$. Then $`A`$ is an affine GCM, and so there are positive integers $`a_0,\mathrm{},a_l`$ such that $`(a_0,\mathrm{},a_l)A^t=0`$. Equivalently, there exist positive integers $`a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_0,\mathrm{},a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_l`$ such that $`(a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_0,\mathrm{},a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_l)A=0`$. Both these sets of integers are assumed to be normalized so that $`\mathrm{gcd}(a_0,\mathrm{},a_l)=\mathrm{gcd}(a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_0,\mathrm{},a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_l)`$ $`=1`$. The integers $`h:=_{j=0}^la_j`$ and $`h\stackrel{ˇ}{}:=_{j=0}^la\stackrel{ˇ}{}_j`$ are then the Coxeter number respectively the dual Coxeter number of the matrix $`A`$. If $`𝔤`$ is of type $`X_N`$ ($`X=A,B,\mathrm{},G`$ and $`N1`$), then $`A`$ will be denoted by $`X_N^{(r)}`$. We shall use the Dynkin diagrams of the affine GCMs as listed in \[KKLW\], that is, with the vertex corresponding to the 0-th index always occurring at the left-end of the diagram. The $`a_j`$’s are then the numerical labels next to the vertices of each diagram. In particular, $`a_0`$ is always 1, while $`a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_0`$ is 1 unless $`A`$ is of type $`A_{2l}^{(2)}`$ ($`l1`$), in which case $`a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_0=2`$.

Let $`𝐬=(s_0,s_1,\mathrm{},s_l)`$ be a sequence of nonnegative relatively prime integers, and set $`T=r_{j=0}^ls_ja_j`$. If $`\eta `$ is a primitive $`T`$-th root of unity, the conditions

$$\nu (H_j)=H_j,\nu (E_j)=\eta ^{s_j}E_j,j\{0,1,\mathrm{},l\},$$
(2.1.1)
define a $`T`$-th order automorphism $`\nu `$ of $`𝔤`$, the so-called $`𝐬`$-automorphism. The $`(1,0,\mathrm{},0)`$-automorphism is just the original diagram automorphism $`\mu `$. For $`j𝐙_T`$ let $`𝔤_{(j)}`$ be the $`\eta ^j`$-eigenspace of $`\nu `$ in $`𝔤`$ ($`j`$ denotes here both an integer between 0 and $`T1`$ and its residue class modulo $`T`$). The $`𝐙_T`$-gradation $`𝔤=_{j𝐙_T}𝔤_{(j)}`$ is accordingly called the $`𝐬`$-gradation. Let $`,`$ be a nondegenerate symmetric $`𝔤`$-invariant bilinear form on $`𝔤`$. Being a multiple of the Killing form, $`,`$ is also $`\nu `$-invariant and remains nonsingular on the CSA $`𝔟`$ of $`𝔤_{[0]}`$. We may therefore identify $`𝔟`$ with $`𝔟^{}`$ by means of the restricted form. Furthermore, we may assume that $`,`$ is normalized so that $`\beta _0,\beta _0=2a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_0/r`$, which then implies that $`a\stackrel{ˇ}{}_j=r\beta _j,\beta _ja_j/2`$ for $`j=0,1,\mathrm{},l`$ (cf. \[KKLW, Proposition 1.1\]). This normalization of the form $`,`$ amounts to the condition that $`\alpha ,\alpha =2`$ whenever $`\alpha 𝔱^{}`$ is a long root of $`𝔤`$, in which case the Killing form equals $`2h\stackrel{ˇ}{},`$. Define the Lie algebras

$$\widehat{𝔤}[\nu ]=_{j=0}^{T1}𝔤_{(j)}t^{\frac{j}{T}}𝐂[t,t^1]𝐂c,\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]=\widehat{𝔤}[\nu ]𝐂d,$$
(2.1.2)
by the conditions

$$\begin{array}{cc}& c\text{central},c0,[d,at^m]=mat^m,\hfill \\ & [at^m,bt^n]=[a,b]t^{m+n}+m\delta _{m+n,0}a,bc,\hfill \end{array}$$
(2.1.3)
for $`m,n\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$, $`a𝔤_{(mTmodT)}`$, $`b𝔤_{(nTmodT)}`$, where $`pmodT`$ denotes the residue class of an integer $`p`$ modulo $`T`$. For $`a𝔤_{(j)}`$, $`n𝐙`$, we shall frequently use $`a(n+j/T)`$ and $`𝔤(n+j/T)`$ to denote $`at^{n+j/T}`$ and $`𝔤_{(j)}t^{n+j/T}`$, respectively, and we often identify $`𝔤_{(0)}(0)`$ with $`𝔤_{(0)}`$. The space $`𝔥:=𝔟𝐂c`$ (respectively, $`𝔥^e:=𝔥𝐂d`$) is a CSA of $`\widehat{𝔤}[\nu ]`$ (respectively, $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$). Let $`\delta 𝔥^e^{}`$ be such that $`\delta |_𝔥=0`$, $`\delta (d)=1`$, and define $`\alpha _j𝔥^e^{}`$ by $`\alpha _j|_𝔟=\beta _j`$, $`\alpha _j(c)=0`$, $`\alpha _j(d)=s_jT^1`$ if $`j=1,\mathrm{},l`$, and $`\alpha _0=r^1\delta _{j=1}^la_j\alpha _j`$, so that in particular $`\alpha _0(d)=s_0T^1`$. For $`j\{0,1,\mathrm{},l\}`$ define also

$$e_j=E_jt^{\frac{s_j}{T}},f_j=F_jt^{\frac{s_j}{T}},h_j=H_j+\frac{2s_j}{T\beta _j,\beta _j}c.$$
(2.1.4)
Then $`\{e_j,f_j,h_j,dj\{0,1,\mathrm{},l\}\}`$ is a system of canonical generators of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$, viewed as the $`\nu `$-twisted affine Kac-Moody Lie algebra of rank $`l+1`$ associated to the GCM $`A`$, in what is called the $`𝐬`$-realization of this algebra. Note that the canonical central element $`c`$ equals $`_{j=0}^la\stackrel{ˇ}{}_jh_j`$, and let $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]_i:=\{a\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ][d,a]=ia\}`$, $`i\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$. The corresponding $`\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$-gradation $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]=_{i\frac{1}{T}𝐙}\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]_i`$ is then called the $`𝐬`$-gradation of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$.

###### Remark 2.1.1.

(i) Let us temporarily denote by $`\{e_j^\nu ,f_j^\nu ,h_j^\nu ,d^\nu j\{0,1,\mathrm{},l\}\}`$ the canonical generators of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$ defined in (2.1.4). One can show that there are uniquely determined scalars $`x_1,\mathrm{},x_l`$ such that the affine Lie algebras $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\mu ]`$ and $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$ are isomorphic (but of course not graded isomorphic) by the Lie algebra map defined by $`cc`$, $`d^\mu d^\nu +_{k=1}^lx_kH_k`$, $`e_j^\mu e_j^\nu `$, $`f_j^\mu f_j^\nu `$, $`h_j^\mu h_j^\nu `$, $`j=0,1,\mathrm{},l`$.
(ii) There are two particularly important realizations of an affine Lie algebra, namely the homogeneous and the principal ones, given by the choices $`𝐬=(1,0,\mathrm{},0)`$ and $`𝐬=(1,1,\mathrm{},1)`$ respectively.

Recall that a $`\widehat{𝔤}[\nu ]`$-module $`V`$ is said to be restricted if $`𝔤_{(j)}(n+j/T)v=0`$ for any $`vV`$ and $`n0`$. In particular, any highest weight module is restricted. Given a restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}[\nu ]`$-module $`V`$ and $`a𝔤_{(j)}`$, we shall use generating functions of operators on $`V`$ of the form

$$a(\nu ;z)=\underset{n𝐙}{}a(n+j/T)z^{n\frac{j}{T}1}(\text{End}V)\left[[z^{1/T},z^{1/T}]\right].$$
(2.1.5)
We shall often write $`a_{n+j/T}`$ when we think of $`a(n+j/T)`$ as a coefficient of $`a(\nu ;z)`$, and $`a(\text{id}_𝔤;z)`$ will be denoted by $`a(z)`$. We shall mostly consider highest weight modules with highest weight $`\mathrm{\Lambda }𝔥^e^{}`$ satisfying $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(d)=0`$. The canonical central element $`c\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$ acts on a highest weight module $`V`$ with highest weight $`\mathrm{\Lambda }`$ as multiplication by the scalar $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(c)`$, called the level of $`V`$. The character of $`V`$ is defined as the formal infinite sum $`\text{ch}V=_{\lambda 𝔥^e^{}}(\text{dim}V_\lambda )e^\lambda `$, where $`V=_{\lambda \mathrm{\Lambda }}V_\lambda `$ is the weight decomposition. Note that $`e^\mathrm{\Lambda }\text{ch}V𝐙[[e^{\alpha _0},\mathrm{},e^{\alpha _l}]]`$ and let $`q`$ be an indeterminate. Provided that $`s_i>0`$, $`0il`$, the sequence $`𝐬=(s_0,\mathrm{},s_l)`$ defines a homomorphism of power series rings

$`F_𝐬:𝐙[[e^{\alpha _0},\mathrm{},e^{\alpha _l}]]`$ $`𝐙[[q]]`$
$`e^{\alpha _i}`$ $`F_𝐬(e^{\alpha _i})=q^{s_i},i=0,\mathrm{},l,`$
called the $`q`$-specialization of type $`𝐬`$. Let $`j𝐍`$ and set $`V_j(𝐬)=_{\lambda :\mathrm{deg}\lambda =j}V_\lambda `$, where $`\mathrm{deg}\left(\mathrm{\Lambda }_{i=0}^lk_i\alpha _i\right):=_{i=0}^lk_is_i`$, $`(k_0,\mathrm{},k_l)𝐍^{l+1}`$. Then $`V=_{j𝐍}V_j(𝐬)`$ is the $`𝐬`$-gradation of V and one has $`F_𝐬(e^\mathrm{\Lambda }\text{ch}V)=_{j𝐍}(\text{dim}V_j(𝐬))q^j`$.

For $`i=0,1,\mathrm{},l`$, let $`\mathrm{\Lambda }_iP_+`$ be the fundamental weight determined by $`\mathrm{\Lambda }_i(h_j)=\delta _{ij}`$, $`\mathrm{\Lambda }_i(d)=0`$. The standard $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$-modules with highest weight $`\mathrm{\Lambda }`$ such that $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(d)=0`$ are then parametrized up to equivalence by arbitrary sequences $`(k_0,k_1,\mathrm{},k_l)𝐍^{l+1}`$ satisfying $`\mathrm{\Lambda }=_{i=0}^lk_i\mathrm{\Lambda }_i`$. We shall interchangeably use the notations $`L_{k_0,\mathrm{},k_{l1},k}(\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ])`$, $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda };\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ])`$, and $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda })`$ (if no confusion is possible) in order to designate the level $`k`$ standard $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$-module with highest weight $`\mathrm{\Lambda }=_{i=0}^lk_i\mathrm{\Lambda }_i`$. The $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\nu ]`$-modules $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda }_i)`$, $`i=0,1,\mathrm{},l`$, are called fundamental, and the level one standard modules are called basic. Every standard module occurs in a tensor product of fundamental modules, and in fact every standard module of level $`k`$ occurs in the tensor product of $`k`$ basic modules (cf. \[Ag\]).

### 2.2. Rank two affine Lie algebras

We now apply the constructions described in §2.1 to the affine Lie algebras $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$, and we deduce a series of coincidences between specialized characters of certain standard representations of these algebras (Theorem 2.2.1). We then describe two ways of investigating the existence of conceptual explanations for these coincidences (Problems 1 and 2).

Starting with $`𝔤=𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$, $`𝐬=(1,0)`$ and $`\nu =\text{id}_𝔤`$, one gets the “homogeneous picture” of the (untwisted) affine Lie algebra $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}`$, also denoted $`A_1^{(1)}`$, whose GCM is $`\left(\begin{array}{cc}2& 2\\ 2& 2\end{array}\right)`$. Taking instead $`𝐬=(1,2)`$ and the corresponding $`(1,2)`$-automorphism $`\nu `$ of $`𝔤`$ defined as in (2.1.1), one gets $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]`$, that is, the $`(1,2)`$-realization of $`A_1^{(1)}`$. We shall use the standard basis $`\{e,f,h\}`$ of $`𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$, with $`[e,f]=h`$, $`[h,e]=2e`$, and $`[h,f]=2f`$.

Let now $`𝔤=𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ and denote by $`\mu `$ the negative transpose map of $`𝔤`$. Then $`\mu `$ is a diagram automorphism of order 2 of $`𝔤`$ ($`\mu `$ is the outer automorphism induced by the automorphism of the Dynkin diagram of $`𝔤`$ – with respect to some appropriate CSA of $`𝔤`$ – which permutes the two simple roots). Note that the fixed set of $`\mu `$ in $`𝔤`$ is the 3-dimensional rank one subalgebra $`𝔤_{[0]}=𝔰𝔬(3,𝐂)`$ ($`𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$), while $`𝔤_{[1]}`$ is the 5-dimensional subspace consisting of the symmetric traceless $`3\times 3`$ matrices. The discussion of §2.1 with $`𝐬=(1,0)`$ and $`\mu `$ as the $`(1,0)`$-automorphism leads then to the homogeneous realization of the twisted affine Lie algebra $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\mu ]`$, also denoted $`A_2^{(2)}`$, whose GCM is $`\left(\begin{array}{cc}2& 1\\ 4& 2\end{array}\right)`$. Using instead $`𝐬=(1,1)`$ and the principal automorphism $`\sigma `$ of $`𝔤`$ defined as in (2.1.1), one gets the algebra $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$, which is the principal realization of $`A_2^{(2)}`$.

We shall consider later on different realizations of the rank three untwisted affine Lie algebra $`A_2^{(1)}`$, obtained as in the previous section from $`𝔤=𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ and $`\mu =\text{id}_𝔤`$.

Let $`k𝐙_+`$. Recall that the standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules with a highest weight $`\mathrm{\Lambda }P_+`$ such that $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(c)k=\mathrm{\Lambda }(d)=0`$ are parametrized up to equivalence by pairs $`(k_0,k_1)𝐍^2`$ satisfying

$$\mathrm{\Lambda }=k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1,k_0+k_1=k.$$
(2.2.1)
Note that there are exactly $`k+1`$ such distinct pairs. Suppose that $`\mathrm{\Lambda }P_+`$ is of the form (2.2.1). If $`k_0+k_13k_1+1`$, then the following infinite product expression for the $`(1,2)`$-specialized character of $`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})`$ is a simple consequence of identity (11.1.12) in \[MP2\]:

$$F_{(1,2)}\left(e^\mathrm{\Lambda }\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)=\underset{\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n0,2(k+2),\pm (k_0+1),}{\pm (2kk_0+3),\pm 2(kk_0+1)mod4(k+2)}}{}(1q^n)^1.$$
(2.2.2)
If $`k1mod3`$ and $`k_0+k_1=3k_1+1`$ then identity (11.1.13) in \[MP2\] gives instead:

$$F_{(1,2)}\left(e^\mathrm{\Lambda }\text{ch}L_{\frac{2k+1}{3},k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)=\underset{n\pm \frac{2(k+2)}{3}mod4(k+2)}{}(1q^n)\underset{\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n0,2(k+2),\pm \frac{2(k+2)}{3},}{\pm \frac{4(k+2)}{3}mod4(k+2)}}{}(1q^n)^1.$$
(2.2.3)
The identities in \[MP2\] mentioned above were derived from the Weyl-Kac character and denominator formulas (\[K1\]) and Wakimoto’s generalization of Lepowsky’s numerator formula (\[L1\], \[W\]).

We now look at standard $`A_2^{(2)}`$-modules with a highest weight $`\mathrm{\Lambda }P_+`$ such that $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(c)=2k+1`$ and $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(d)=0`$. These are parametrized up to equivalence by pairs $`(k_0,k_1)𝐍^2`$ satisfying

$$\mathrm{\Lambda }=k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1,2k_0+k_1=2k+1.$$
(2.2.4)
Note that there are exactly $`k+1`$ such distinct pairs. Define

$$P(q)=\underset{n\pm 1mod6}{}(1q^n)^1𝐙[[q]]$$

and let $`\mathrm{\Lambda }P_+`$ be as in (2.2.4). The principally specialized character of $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda };A_2^{(2)})`$ was expressed as an infinite product in \[LM, Theorem 6.8\] by means of the character, denominator and numerator formulas. One has:

$$F_{(1,1)}\left(e^\mathrm{\Lambda }\text{ch}L_{k_0,2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})\right)=P(q)\underset{\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n0,2(k+2),\pm (k_0+1),}{\pm (2kk_0+3),\pm 2(kk_0+1)mod4(k+2)}}{}(1q^n)^1$$
(2.2.5)
if $`k_0\frac{2k+1}{3}`$, and

$`F_{(1,1)}`$ $`\left(e^\mathrm{\Lambda }\text{ch}L_{\frac{2k+1}{3},2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})\right)`$ (2.2.6)
$`=P(q){\displaystyle \underset{n\pm \frac{2(k+2)}{3}mod4(k+2)}{}}(1q^n){\displaystyle \underset{\genfrac{}{}{0.0pt}{}{n0,2(k+2),\pm \frac{2(k+2)}{3},}{\pm \frac{4(k+2)}{3}mod4(k+2)}}{}}(1q^n)^1`$
if $`k_0=\frac{2k+1}{3}`$ (which can occur only for $`k1mod3`$).

It is now obvious that except for the factor $`P(q)`$, the right-hand sides of (2.2.2) and (2.2.3) coincide with those of (2.2.5) and (2.2.6) respectively. Therefore, for each positive integer $`k`$ we have a 1-1 correspondence

$$\{L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}\{L_{k_0,2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}$$
(2.2.7)
such that for every $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$

$$F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{\left(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(kk_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1\right)}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)=P(q)^1F_{(1,1)}\left(e^{(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(2k+12k_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1)}\text{ch}L_{k_0,2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})\right).$$

The presence of the factor $`P(q)`$ in (2.2.5)-(2.2.6) may be explained by the representation theory of the principal Heisenberg subalgebra of $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$, where $`\sigma `$ is as before the principal automorphism of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$. More precisely, $`P(q)`$ is the rescaled graded dimension of the fermionic twisted Fock space representation at level $`2k+1`$ of this Heisenberg algebra. Indeed, let $`\tau :\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]/𝐂c`$ be the canonical Lie algebra map, and note that the principal gradation of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ is actually a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-gradation. Consider the following subalgebras of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$:

$$\begin{array}{cc}& \stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]=\tau ^1\left(\text{Cent}_{\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]/𝐂c}\tau (e_0+e_1)\right)𝐂d,\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}=[\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ],\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]],\hfill \\ & \stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_\pm ^{}=\text{C}\text{-span}\{x\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}\pm \mathrm{deg}x>0\},\hfill \end{array}$$
(2.2.8)
where $`e_0`$ and $`e_1`$ are as in (2.1.4). Then $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}=\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_{}^{}𝐂c\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_+^{}`$, and one can show that the commutator subalgebra of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$ is one-dimensional and coincides with $`𝐂c`$ (see Remark 3.2.3). Hence $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$ is a Heisenberg Lie algebra, called the principal Heisenberg subalgebra of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ (cf. \[LW\]). Define a $`(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_+^{}𝐂c)`$-module structure on $`𝐂`$ by $`c1=(2k+1)1`$, $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_+^{}1=0`$, $`\mathrm{deg}1=0`$, and form the induced $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$-module

$$M(\sigma ;2k+1)=U(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{})_{U(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_+^{}𝐂c)}𝐂,$$
(2.2.9)
which acquires a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-gradation by letting $`d`$ act as the degree operator. Then $`M(\sigma ;2k+1)`$ is an irreducible $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$-module which is isomorphic to $`S(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_{}^{})`$ as a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-graded vector space. Recall that the vacuum space of an arbitrary $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$-module $`V`$ is the ($`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-graded) subspace $`\mathrm{\Omega }_V=\{vV\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_+^{}v=0\}`$. If $`\mathrm{\Lambda }P_+`$ is as in (2.2.4), then \[FLM, Theorem 1.7.3\] implies that when viewed as a $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$-module, $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)`$ decomposes as

$$L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)=M(\sigma ;2k+1)\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}=S(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_{}^{})\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},$$
(2.2.10)
where $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}:=\mathrm{\Omega }_{L_{k_0,2k+1}(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ])}`$ is the vacuum subspace of $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)`$ for the action of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$. It is then easy to see that

$`F_{(1,1)}`$ $`\left(e^{(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(2k+12k_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1)}\text{ch}L_{k_0,2k+1}(A_2^{(2)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{6}}}`$ (2.2.11)
$`=dim_{}L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)=dim_{}S(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]_{}^{})dim_{}\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}=P(q^{\frac{1}{6}})dim_{}\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},`$
where $`dim_{}`$ denotes the graded dimension (cf. \[FLM, §1.10\]). Set

$$𝒪_1(k)=\{L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\},𝒪_2(k)=\{\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}.$$
(2.2.12)
We conclude that (2.2.7) can be restated as follows:

###### Theorem 2.2.1.

For each positive integer $`k`$ there is a bijection

$`\varphi _k:`$ $`𝒪_1(k)𝒪_2(k)`$ (2.2.13)
$`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\},`$
such that

$$F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{(k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(kk_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1)}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{6}}}=dim_{}\varphi _k\left(L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)$$

for every $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$. $`\mathrm{}`$

One is naturally led to assume that a deeper reason may lie behind the bijections $`\varphi _k`$, which in fact suggest a new kind of duality between appropriately defined module categories for $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$. From the viewpoint of representation theory, natural approaches for finding conceptual explanations to Theorem 2.2.1 would be the following:

###### Problem 1.

Are $`𝒪_1(k)`$ and $`𝒪_2(k)`$ the same set of inequivalent simple graded objects in a semisimple category induced by the “equal level” representations of some algebraic structure?

###### Problem 2.

Does there exist an algebraic structure for which the spaces $`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ are isomorphic simple graded modules for all $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$?

The “equal level” representations in the formulation of Problem 1 are of course to be understood in a broad sense, by analogy with the (highest weight) modules of fixed level for an affine Lie algebra, the (unitary) $`Vir`$-modules of fixed central charge, the modules for a (rational) VOA with prescribed rank, etc. Problem 2 is obviously a weaker version of Problem 1 and we shall therefore concentrate mainly on the latter. We conjecture that $`𝒪_1(k)`$ and $`𝒪_2(k)`$ are in fact the same set of simple twisted modules for a (rational) VOA or a related structure, and we produce some evidence in this direction in Sections 3 and 4.

###### Remark 2.2.2.

From a Lie-algebraic point of view, the natural candidates for the algebraic structures of Problems 1 and 2 would be some (appropriately infinite-dimensional) Lie algebras. For instance, one could try to construct suitable $`A_1^{(1)}`$-module structures for the spaces in $`𝒪_2(k)`$. Although there are several ways of embedding $`A_1^{(1)}`$ into $`A_2^{(2)}`$, these procedures are not likely to serve our purposes mainly because they fail to make the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ become $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules (see also Remark 3.2.6 for a somewhat similar point of view). Let us consider as an example the following elements of $`A_2^{(2)}`$: $`e_0^{}=\frac{1}{6}[e_0,[[[e_0,e_1],e_1],e_1]]`$, $`f_0^{}=\frac{1}{6}[f_0,[[[f_0,f_1],f_1],f_1]]`$, $`e_1^{}=e_1`$, $`f_1^{}=f_1`$, $`h_0^{}=3h_1+8h_0`$, $`h_1^{}=h_1`$, where $`e_i`$, $`f_i`$, $`h_i`$, $`i=0,1`$, are as in (2.1.4). Then $`\{e_i^{},f_i^{},h_i^{}i\{0,1\}\}`$ generates a subalgebra $`𝔞`$ of $`A_2^{(2)}`$ which is isomorphic to the affine Lie algebra $`A_1^{(1)}`$ with canonical central element $`c^{}=h_0^{}+h_1^{}=4c`$ (where $`c`$ is the canonical central element of $`A_2^{(2)}`$), so that one may identify $`𝔞`$ with the full subalgebra of $`A_1^{(1)}`$ of depth 4. However, the action of $`𝔞`$ on $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda };\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ])`$$`\mathrm{\Lambda }P_+`$ being as in (2.2.4) – does not centralize the action of the Heisenberg algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$ defined in (2.2.8), and so the corresponding vacuum space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(\mathrm{\Lambda };\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ])}`$ is not necessarily $`𝔞`$-invariant. Moreover, the principal realization of $`A_2^{(2)}`$ induces on $`𝔞A_1^{(1)}`$ the gradation of type $`(5,1)`$ – and not $`(1,2)`$ as needed – and the level of $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda };\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ])`$ viewed as an $`𝔞`$-module increases to $`\mathrm{\Lambda }(c^{})=4(2k+1)`$.

## 3. Standard modules for $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(2)}`$ as representations of VOAs

In this section we give a first approach to Problem 1. We start by noticing that after some appropriate modifications, expressions (2.2.2)-(2.2.3) and (2.2.5)-(2.2.6) become the $`q`$-traces of certain (twisted) modules for VOAs associated to vacuum representations of $`A_1^{(1)}`$ and $`A_2^{(1)}`$ respectively. As it was previously indicated, the ultimate goal would be to interpret both $`𝒪_1(k)`$ and $`𝒪_2(k)`$ as the same set of equivalence classes of irreducible (twisted) modules for some rational VOA or a related structure. We study various possibilities for such a structure.

### 3.1. GVOAs and modules

We review here some necessary background on GVOAs and their modules. For the formal calculus involved and further results we refer to \[B\], \[FLM\], \[FHL\], \[DL1\], \[Li1\], \[Li2\], \[Z\].

###### Definition 1 (\[DL1\]).

Let $`S𝐙_+`$ and let $`G`$ be a finite abelian group endowed with a symmetric nondegenerate $`\frac{1}{S}𝐙/2𝐙`$-valued $`𝐙`$-bilinear form:

$$(g,h)\frac{1}{S}𝐙/2𝐙\text{ for }g,hG.$$

A generalized vertex operator algebra of level $`S`$ associated with the group $`G`$ and the form $`(,)`$ is a vector space $`V`$ with two gradations

$$V=\underset{n\frac{1}{S}𝐙}{}V_n=\underset{gG}{}V^g\text{ with }\text{wt}(v)=n\text{ for }vV_n,$$

such that

$`V^g={\displaystyle \underset{n\frac{1}{S}𝐙}{}}V_n^g,\text{ where }V_n^g=V_nV^g\text{ for any }gG\text{ and }n\frac{1}{S}𝐙,`$
$`dimV_n<\mathrm{}\text{ for all }n\frac{1}{S}𝐙,V_n=0\text{ for }n0,`$
which is equipped with a linear map
$`Y(,z):V(\text{End}V)\left[[z^{1/S},z^{1/S}]\right]`$
$`vY(v,z)={\displaystyle \underset{n\frac{1}{S}𝐙}{}}v_nz^{n1}`$
and with two distinguished vectors $`\mathrm{𝟏}V_0^0`$, $`\omega V_2^0`$, satisfying the following conditions: for any $`g,hG`$, $`u,vV`$ and $`m\frac{1}{S}𝐙`$
$`u_mV^hV^{g+h}\text{ if }uV^g,`$
$`u_mv=0\text{ if }m0,`$
$`Y(\mathrm{𝟏},z)=\text{id}_V,`$
$`Y(v,z)\mathrm{𝟏}V[[z]]\text{ and }\underset{z0}{lim}Y(v,z)\mathrm{𝟏}=v,`$
$`Y(v,z)|_{V^h}={\displaystyle \underset{n(g,h)mod𝐙}{}}v_nz^{n1}\text{ if }vV^g`$
(i.e., $`n+2𝐙(g,h)mod𝐙/2𝐙`$); if $`uV^g`$ and $`vV^h`$ then the following generalized Jacobi identity holds:
$`z_0^1({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_2}{z_0}})^{(g,h)}\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_2}{z_0}})Y(u,z_1)Y(v,z_2)`$
$`z_0^1({\displaystyle \frac{z_2z_1}{z_0}})^{(g,h)}\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_2z_1}{z_0}})Y(v,z_2)Y(u,z_1)`$
$`=z_2^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})Y(Y(u,z_0)v,z_2)({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})^g,`$
where $`\delta (z)=_{n𝐙}z^n`$ and whenever $`kG`$ and $`wV^k`$,
$`({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})^g\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})w=({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})^{(g,k)}\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})w;`$
furthermore, for any $`m,n𝐙`$ one has
$`[L(m),L(n)]=(mn)L(m+n)+{\displaystyle \frac{1}{12}}(m^3m)\delta _{m+n,0}(\text{rank}V)\text{id}_V,`$
where $`L(n)=\omega _{n+1}`$ for $`n𝐙`$, i.e., $`Y(\omega ,z)=_{n𝐙}L(n)z^{n2}`$, $`\text{rank}V𝐂`$, and
$`L(0)v=nv=\text{wt}(v)v\text{ for }n\frac{1}{S}𝐙,vV_n,`$
$`Y(L(1)v,z)={\displaystyle \frac{d}{dz}}Y(v,z).`$
This completes the definition of a generalized vertex operator algebra (GVOA). The GVOA defined above is denoted by $`(V,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega ,S,G,(,))`$ or simply by $`V`$ if no confusion is possible.

A $`\frac{1}{S}𝐙`$-graded VOA is a GVOA of level $`S`$ associated with the group $`G=\{0\}`$. Following \[DLiM1\], we call a GVOA of this type a $`𝐐`$-graded VOA. A VOA is then a $`𝐐`$-graded VOA of level 1.

###### Definition 2 (\[DL1\], \[DLiM1\]).

Let $`(V,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega ,S)`$ be a $`𝐐`$-graded VOA. A weak $`V`$-module is a pair $`(M,Y_M)`$, where $`M`$ is a vector space and $`Y_M(,z)`$ is a linear map $`V(\text{End}M)\left[[z^{1/S},z^{1/S}]\right]`$ satisfying the following: $`Y_M(\mathrm{𝟏},z)=\text{id}_M`$, $`z^nY_M(a,z)uM\left[\left[z^{1/S}\right]\right]`$ for any $`aV`$, $`uM`$, and $`n\frac{1}{S}𝐙`$ sufficiently large, $`Y_M(L(1)a,z)=\frac{d}{dz}Y_M(a,z)`$ for $`aV`$, and the Jacobi identity

$`z_0^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_2}{z_0}})Y_M(a,z_1)Y_M(b,z_2)z_0^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_2z_1}{z_0}})Y_M(b,z_2)Y_M(a,z_1)`$
$`=z_2^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})Y_M(Y(a,z_0)b,z_2),`$
for $`a,bV`$. A weak $`V`$-module $`(M,Y_M)`$ is called a (ordinary) $`V`$-module if $`L(0)`$ ($`=\text{Res}_zzY_M(\omega ,z)`$) acts semisimply on $`M`$ with the decomposition into $`L(0)`$-eigenspaces $`M=_{h𝐂}M_h`$ such that for any $`h𝐂`$, $`dimM_h<\mathrm{}`$ and $`M_{h+n}=0`$ for $`n\frac{1}{S}𝐙`$ sufficiently small. A $`𝐐`$-graded weak module is a weak $`V`$-module $`(M,Y_M)`$ together with a $`𝐐`$-gradation $`M=_{n𝐐}M_n`$ such that $`a_mM_nM_{r+nm1}`$ for $`aV_r`$, $`r`$, $`m\frac{1}{S}𝐙`$, $`n𝐐`$. An admissible $`V`$-module is a $`𝐐_0`$-graded weak $`V`$-module. A $`𝐐`$-graded VOA $`V`$ is said to be rational if every admissible $`V`$-module is completely reducible, i.e., a direct sum of simple admissible $`V`$-modules.

Let $`(V,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ be a VOA with an automorphism $`\sigma `$ of order $`T`$. Set $`V^k=\{aV\sigma (a)=\mathrm{exp}(2k\pi i/T)a\}`$, $`0kT1`$, so that $`V=_{k=0}^{T1}V^k`$.

###### Definition 3 (\[BDM\], \[DLiM2\]).

A weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module is a pair $`(M,Y_M)`$, where $`M`$ is a vector space and $`Y_M(,z)`$ is a linear map $`V(\text{End}M)\left[[z^{1/T},z^{1/T}]\right]`$ given by $`aY_M(a,z)=_{n𝐐}a_nz^{n1}`$, such that for $`a`$, $`bV`$ and $`uM`$ the following hold: $`a_nu=0`$ if $`n0`$, $`Y_M(\mathrm{𝟏},z)=\text{id}_M`$, $`Y_M(a,z)=_{nk/T+𝐙}a_nz^{n1}`$ for $`aV^k`$, and the twisted Jacobi identity

$`z_0^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_2}{z_0}})Y_M(a,z_1)Y_M(b,z_2)z_0^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_2z_1}{z_0}})Y_M(b,z_2)Y_M(a,z_1)`$
$`=z_2^1({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})^{\frac{k}{T}}\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})Y_M(Y(a,z_0)b,z_2),`$
for $`aV^k`$, $`bV`$. A weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module $`(M,Y_M)`$ is called a (ordinary) $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module if $`L(0)`$ acts semisimply on $`M`$ with the decomposition into $`L(0)`$-eigenspaces $`M=_{h𝐂}M_h`$ such that for any $`h𝐂`$, $`dimM_h<\mathrm{}`$ and $`M_{h+n}=0`$ for $`n\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$ sufficiently small. A $`\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$-graded weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module is a weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module $`(M,Y_M)`$ which carries a $`\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$-grading $`M=_{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{T}}𝐙}M_n`$ such that $`a_mM_nM_{r+nm1}`$ for $`aV_r`$, $`r𝐙`$, $`m`$, $`n\frac{1}{T}𝐙`$. An admissible $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module is a $`\frac{1}{T}𝐍`$-graded weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module. A VOA $`V`$ is said to be $`\sigma `$-rational if every admissible $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module is completely reducible.

It was shown in \[DLiM2\] that if $`(M,Y_M)`$ is a weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module then the component operators of $`Y_M(\omega ,z)`$ together with $`\text{id}_M`$ induce a $`Vir`$-representation on $`M`$ with central charge rank V and $`Y_M(L(1)a,z)=\frac{d}{dz}Y_M(a,z)`$ for $`aV`$. It was further shown in loc. cit. that a $`\sigma `$-rational VOA has only finitely many isomorphism classes of simple admissible $`\sigma `$-twisted modules and that every such module is an ordinary $`\sigma `$-twisted module.

The following are consequences of the above definitions (cf. \[Li2\]): if $`V`$ is a VOA, $`\sigma \text{Aut}(V)`$ has order $`T`$, $`0kT1`$, $`aV^k`$, $`bV`$, and $`(M,Y_M)`$ is a weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module then

$`[Y_M(a,z_1),Y_M(b,z_2)]={\displaystyle \underset{j=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}{\displaystyle \frac{1}{j!}}(({\displaystyle \frac{}{z_2}})^jz_1^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_2}{z_1}})({\displaystyle \frac{z_2}{z_1}})^{\frac{k}{T}})Y_M(a_jb,z_2),`$ (3.1.1)
$`Y_M(Y(a,z_0)b,z_2)=\text{Res}_{z_1}({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_0}{z_2}})^{\frac{k}{T}}[z_0^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_1z_2}{z_0}})Y_M(a,z_1)Y_M(b,z_2)`$ (3.1.2)
$`z_0^1\delta ({\displaystyle \frac{z_2+z_1}{z_0}})Y_M(b,z_2)Y_M(a,z_1)].`$
These formulas reduce to the ordinary commutator respectively associator relations for VOAs by taking $`M=V`$ and $`\sigma =\text{id}_V`$. As in the untwisted case (cf. \[Z, Lemma 1.2.1\]) one can prove:

###### Proposition 3.1.1.

Let $`V`$ be a VOA with an automorphism $`\sigma `$ of order $`T`$. If $`M`$ is a simple admissible $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module such that $`M=_{n\frac{1}{T}𝐍}M_n`$ and $`M_00`$, $`dimM_0<\mathrm{}`$, then there exists $`h_M𝐂`$ such that $`L(0)|_{M_n}=(n+h_M)\text{id}_{_{M_n}}`$ for all $`n\frac{1}{T}𝐍`$. $`\mathrm{}`$

By Proposition 3.1.1, one may write the $`q`$-trace (conformal character) of an irreducible $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module $`M=_{n\frac{1}{T}𝐍}M_n`$ as the following formal power series

$$\text{tr}__Mq^{L(0)\frac{rankV}{24}}=q^{h_M\frac{rankV}{24}}\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}(dimM_{\frac{n}{T}})q^{\frac{n}{T}}.$$
(3.1.3)
Obviously, any admissible $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V`$-module with finite-dimensional $`L(0)`$-homogeneous subspaces has a well-defined $`q`$-trace.

###### Proposition 3.1.2 (\[DLiM2\], \[Lia\]).

Let $`(V,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ be a VOA of rank $`r𝐂`$ and suppose that $`hV`$ is such that $`L(n)h=\delta _{n,0}h,h_nh=\delta _{n,1}\lambda \mathrm{𝟏}\text{ for }n𝐍`$, where $`\lambda 𝐂`$. Then $`(V,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega +h_2\mathrm{𝟏})`$ is a vertex algebra of rank $`r12\lambda `$.

###### Remark 3.1.3.

The vector $`\omega +h_2\mathrm{𝟏}`$ becomes a new Virasoro element of $`V`$, on which it induces a $`𝐂`$-gradation instead of the original $`𝐙`$-gradation without altering the other axioms in the definition of a VOA. We shall use Proposition 3.1.2 only when the new Virasoro vector induces a $`\frac{1}{S}𝐙`$-gradation on $`V`$ for some $`S𝐙_+`$ so that the new structure becomes a $`𝐐`$-graded VOA (cf. Definition 1).

We now describe briefly the VOAs associated with affine Lie algebras, which are sometimes called affine VOAs (cf. \[K2\]). Let $`𝔤`$ be a finite-dimensional Lie algebra with the form $`,`$ normalized as in §2.1, and form the associated untwisted affine Kac-Moody algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}=\widehat{𝔤}𝐂d`$ as in (2.1.2)-(2.1.3). Set $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}_0=_{n0}𝔤(n)𝐂c𝐂d`$ and let $`h\stackrel{ˇ}{}l𝐂`$. Define a $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}_0`$-module structure on $`𝐂`$ by $`c1=l1`$, $`d1=0`$, $`𝔤(n)1=0`$ for $`n0`$, and form the induced $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$-module $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)=U(\stackrel{~}{𝔤})_{U(\stackrel{~}{𝔤}_0)}𝐂`$ (the so-called vacuum representation of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$ at level $`l`$). Note that $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ is a restricted $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$-module such that $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)U(_{n<0}𝔤(n))`$ as vector spaces, and that we may identify $`𝔤(1)1`$ with $`𝔤`$. Set $`\mathrm{𝟏}=11N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ and define the element

$$\omega =\frac{1}{2(l+h\stackrel{ˇ}{})}\underset{j=1}{\overset{dim𝔤}{}}a^j(1)b^j(1)\mathrm{𝟏}N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0),$$

where $`\{a^jj\{1,\mathrm{},dim𝔤\}\}`$ and $`\{b^jj\{1,\mathrm{},dim𝔤\}\}`$ are dual bases of $`𝔤`$ with respect to $`,`$. Recall from (2.1.5) the series $`a(z)`$ in this case and define the map

$$Y:𝔤(1)\mathrm{𝟏}(\text{End}N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0))[[z,z^1]]$$
(3.1.4)
$$Y(a(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)=a(z),a𝔤.$$

One can show (cf., e.g., \[MP2, Theorem 2.6\]) that $`Y`$ extends uniquely to $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ in such a way that $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ becomes a VOA with vacuum vector $`\mathrm{𝟏}`$ and Virasoro element $`\omega `$ such that $`𝔤(1)\mathrm{𝟏}=N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)_1`$ (the weight one subspace of $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$). Moreover, given any restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module $`M`$ of level $`l`$, there is a canonical extension to $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ of the map

$$Y_M:𝔤(1)\mathrm{𝟏}(\text{End}M)[[z,z^1]]$$

$$Y_M(a(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)=a(z),\text{ }a𝔤,$$

such that $`(M,Y_M)`$ becomes a weak $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$-module (cf. \[DL1\], \[FZ\], \[Li1\], \[Lia\], \[MP2\]). Let finally $`N^1(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ be the (unique) maximal proper $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$-submodule of $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ and notice that we may identify the irreducible quotient $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)/N^1(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ with the standard $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$-module $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$. We summarize some of the results of the above-mentioned papers in

###### Theorem 3.1.4.

For each $`lh\stackrel{ˇ}{}`$, $`(N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ is a VOA of rank $`\frac{ldim𝔤}{l+h\stackrel{ˇ}{}}`$ generated by $`𝔤(1)\mathrm{𝟏}`$ and any restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module of level $`l`$ is a weak $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$-module. Every $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$-submodule of $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ is an ideal of $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ viewed as a VOA. In particular, there exists an induced structure of simple VOA on $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$. If $`l`$ is a positive integer, then $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ is rational and the set of equivalence classes of simple $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$-modules is exactly the set of equivalence classes of standard $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-modules of level $`l`$.

Any automorphism $`\sigma `$ of order $`T`$ of $`𝔤`$ preserves the form $`,`$ and induces a Lie algebra automorphism of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$. Since the VOA $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ is generated by $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)_1=𝔤(1)\mathrm{𝟏}`$, it follows from the associator formula for VOAs that $`\sigma `$ induces a VOA automorphism of $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ (cf. \[Lia, Proposition 6.20\]). It is easy to see that $`N^1(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ is invariant under the induced VOA automorphism. Hence $`\sigma `$ induces a VOA automorphism of $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ as well. We denote these induced VOA automorphisms again by $`\sigma `$. If $`M`$ is a restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module of level $`l`$, the map

$$Y_M^\sigma :𝔤(1)\mathrm{𝟏}(\text{End}M)\left[[z^{1/T},z^{1/T}]\right]$$
(3.1.5)
$$Y_M^\sigma (a(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)=a(\sigma ;z),$$

for $`a𝔤_{(j)}`$, $`j=0,\mathrm{},T1`$, has a unique extension to $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ that makes $`(M,Y_M^\sigma )`$ a weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$-module. This is a consequence of the theory of local systems of twisted vertex operators developed in \[Li2\], where the following result was obtained.

###### Theorem 3.1.5.

Let $`lh\stackrel{ˇ}{}`$ be a complex number. Then any restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module of level $`l`$ is a weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`N(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$-module. If $`l`$ is a positive integer, then $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ is $`\sigma `$-rational and the set of equivalence classes of simple $`\sigma `$-twisted $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$-modules is precisely the set of equivalence classes of standard $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-modules of level $`l`$.

Given $`a𝔤_{(j)}`$, $`b𝔤`$, and a restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module $`M`$ of level $`l`$, one gets from the affine Lie algebra relations (2.1.3) that

$$[a(\sigma ;z_1),b(\sigma ;z_2)]=z_1^1(\frac{z_2}{z_1})^{\frac{j}{T}}\delta (\frac{z_2}{z_1})[a,b](\sigma ;z_2)+a,b\frac{}{z_2}(z_1^1\delta (\frac{z_2}{z_1})(\frac{z_2}{z_1})^{\frac{j}{T}})l\text{id}_M$$
(3.1.6)
in $`(\text{End}M)\left[[z_1^{1/T},z_1^{1/T},z_2^{1/T},z_2^{1/T}]\right]`$. Following \[DL1\], we define a (noncommutative) “normal ordering” operation for $`a𝔤_{(j)}`$, $`b𝔤_{(k)}`$, $`m\frac{j}{T}+𝐙`$, $`n\frac{k}{T}+𝐙`$, by

$${}_{\times }{}^{\times }a_{m}^{}b_n{}_{\times }{}^{\times }=\{\begin{array}{cc}a_mb_n,\hfill & \text{if }m<0\text{,}\hfill \\ b_na_m,\hfill & \text{if }m0\text{.}\hfill \end{array}$$

Using the computational techniques of \[Li2\] one can then easily prove:

###### Lemma 3.1.6.

Let $`M`$ be a restricted $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module of level $`l`$, and let $`a𝔤_{(k)}`$, $`b𝔤_{(k)}`$ for some fixed $`k\{0,\mathrm{},T1\}`$. Then

$`Y_M^\sigma (a(1)b(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)={\displaystyle \underset{s𝐙}{}}(`$ $`{\displaystyle \underset{n𝐙}{}}{}_{\times }{}^{\times }a\left(n+k/T\right)b\left(s(n+k/T)\right)_\times ^\times `$ (3.1.7)
$`\frac{k}{T}[a,b](s)a,b\delta _{s,0}\left({\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{\frac{k}{T}}{2}}\right)l\text{id}_M)z^{s2}.`$
In particular,

$`\text{Res}_zzY_M^\sigma (a(1)b(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)=`$ $`{\displaystyle \underset{n𝐙}{}}{}_{\times }{}^{\times }a\left(n+k/T\right)b\left((n+k/T)\right)_\times ^\times `$ (3.1.8)
$`\frac{k}{T}[a,b](0)a,b\left({\displaystyle \genfrac{}{}{0pt}{}{\frac{k}{T}}{2}}\right)l\text{id}_M.`$ $`\mathrm{}`$
Recall finally that given two VOAs $`(V_i,Y_{_{V_i}},\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{V_i}},\omega _{_{V_i}})`$, $`i=1,2`$, one may define the tensor product VOA $`(V_1V_2,Y_{_{}},\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{}},\omega _{_{}})`$ by setting

$$\begin{array}{cc}& \mathrm{𝟏}_{_{}}=\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{V_1}}\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{V_2}},\omega _{_{}}=\omega _{_{V_1}}\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{V_2}}+\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{V_1}}\omega _{_{V_2}},\hfill \\ & Y_{_{}}(a_1a_2,z)=Y_{_{V_1}}(a_1,z)Y_{_{V_2}}(a_2,z)\text{ for }a_iV_i.\hfill \end{array}$$
(3.1.9)
The new VOA is endowed with the tensor product grading and the central charge for the Virasoro algebra relations becomes $`\text{rank}(V_1V_2)=\text{rank}V_1+\text{rank}V_2`$.

### 3.2. Structures associated to standard modules for $`A_1^{(1)}`$, $`A_2^{(1)}`$, and $`A_2^{(2)}`$

We start our discussion of Problem 1 with some remarks on the objects in $`𝒪_1(k)`$, namely the level $`k`$ standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules. By Theorem 3.1.4, $`V_k(A_1^{(1)}):=L(k\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_1^{(1)})`$ is a rational VOA of rank $`c_1(k):=\frac{3k}{k+2}`$ and the level $`k`$ standard $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules are precisely its simple modules. These modules have $`q`$-traces which are essentially the same as their homogeneously specialized characters when viewed as $`A_1^{(1)}`$-modules, but we need a setting that makes the former agree with the $`(1,2)`$-specialization of the latter. There are two natural and compatible ways to achieve this, as we shall now explain.

Recall from §2.1 the standard basis $`\{e,f,h\}`$ of $`𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$ and the form $`,`$, and note that $`h,h=2e,f=2`$, $`h,e=h,f=0`$. A Virasoro element of $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ is then given by

$$\omega =\frac{1}{2(k+2)}\left[e(1)f(1)\mathrm{𝟏}+f(1)e(1)\mathrm{𝟏}+\frac{1}{2}h(1)^2\mathrm{𝟏}\right]V_k(A_1^{(1)})_2.$$
(3.2.1)
Let $`\stackrel{~}{\omega }=\omega +\frac{1}{3}h(2)\mathrm{𝟏}`$ and $`Y(\stackrel{~}{\omega },z)=_{n𝐙}\stackrel{~}{L}(n)z^{n2}`$. Then

$`\stackrel{~}{L}(0)=L(0){\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}}h(0),\text{ and}`$ (3.2.2)
$`[\stackrel{~}{L}(0),e(n)]=\left(n+{\displaystyle \frac{2}{3}}\right)e(n),[\stackrel{~}{L}(0),f(n)]=\left(n{\displaystyle \frac{2}{3}}\right)f(n),`$ (3.2.3)
$`[\stackrel{~}{L}(0),h(n)]=nh(n)\text{ for }n𝐙.`$
By Proposition 3.1.2 and Remark 3.1.3, $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega })`$ is a $`\frac{1}{3}𝐙`$-graded VOA of rank $`\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k):=c_1(k)\frac{8k}{3}`$. Since $`k𝐙_+`$, it follows from \[DLiM5, Theorem 3.7\] that the set of inequivalent simple weak $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega })`$-modules is exactly $`𝒪_1(k)`$. Moreover, (3.2.3) implies that for $`n𝐍`$, $`e(n)`$, $`f(n+1)`$, and $`h(n+1)`$ have negative degrees with respect to the operator $`\stackrel{~}{L}(0)`$, so that by \[DLiM1, Theorem 2.20\] any weak (in particular, any admissible) $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega })`$-module is completely reducible. Thus $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega })`$ is a rational $`\frac{1}{3}𝐙`$-graded VOA of rank $`\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)`$ and $`𝒪_1(k)`$ is the complete set of its inequivalent simple modules (cf. \[DLiM1, Theorem 3.14\]). By analogy with (3.1.3), the $`q`$-traces of these modules are the modified graded dimensions induced by $`\stackrel{~}{L}(0)`$:

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}(q):=\text{tr}_{L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})}q^{\stackrel{~}{L}(0)\frac{\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)}{24}}=q^{h_{k_0,k}\frac{\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)}{24}}\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}(dimL_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})_{_{\frac{n}{3}}})q^{\frac{n}{3}},$$
(3.2.4)
where $`h_{k_0,k}𝐂`$ is the lowest weight of $`L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})`$ with respect to $`\stackrel{~}{L}(0)`$. Using (3.1.8), (3.2.1) and (3.2.2) one easily gets that

$$h_{k_0,k}=\frac{3k_0^22k_0kk^2+2k_02k}{12(k+2)},$$
(3.2.5)
while (3.2.3) implies that

$$\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}(dimL_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})_{_{\frac{n}{3}}})q^{\frac{n}{3}}=F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{3}}},$$

which substituted in (3.2.4) gives

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}(q)=F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{3}}}q^{h_{k_0,k}\frac{\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)}{24}}.$$
(3.2.6)
Up to the indicated modifications, the characters (2.2.2) and (2.2.3) may therefore be interpreted as the $`q`$-traces of the simple modules for the rational $`\frac{1}{3}𝐙`$-graded VOA $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega })`$.

Alternatively, one may view these modified characters as the $`q`$-traces of the simple $`\nu `$-twisted modules over the $`\nu `$-rational VOA $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$, where $`\nu `$ is the $`(1,2)`$-automorphism of $`𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$ given by $`\nu (h)=h`$, $`\nu (e)=\mathrm{exp}(4\pi i/3)e`$, $`\nu (f)=\mathrm{exp}(2\pi i/3)f`$. Indeed, let us denote the canonical generators of $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]`$ as in Remark 2.1.1 and notice that $`h=\frac{1}{3}(h_1^\nu 2h_0^\nu )`$. Obviously, the degree operator $`d^\nu `$ of $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]`$ induces a $`\frac{1}{3}𝐙`$-gradation on $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$, and one has

$$\underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}(dimL_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)_{\frac{n}{3}})q^{\frac{n}{3}}=F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{3}}}.$$
(3.2.7)
On the other hand, $`\{(L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right),Y^\nu )k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$ is the complete set of simple $`\nu `$-twisted modules for the $`\nu `$-rational VOA $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ by Theorem 3.1.5. From the twisted commutator formula (3.1.1) one gets that

$$[L(0),e(n+2/3)]=(n+2/3)e(n+2/3),[L(0),f(n+1/3)]=(n+1/3)f(n+1/3),$$
(3.2.8)
where $`L(0)=\text{Res}_zzY^\nu (\omega ,z)`$. By (3.2.7) and (3.2.8) the $`q`$-trace of $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$ is

$`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q):`$ $`=\text{tr}_{L_{k_0,k}(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ])}q^{L(0)\frac{c_1(k)}{24}}`$ (3.2.9)
$`=F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{3}}}q^{h_{k_0,k}^\nu \frac{c_1(k)}{24}},`$
where $`h_{k_0,k}^\nu 𝐂`$ is the lowest weight of $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$ with respect to the operator $`L(0)`$ of (3.2.8). The value of $`h_{k_0,k}^\nu `$ is easily obtained from (3.1.8) and (3.2.1):

$$h_{k_0,k}^\nu =\frac{9k_0^26k_0k+k^2+6k_0+2k}{36(k+2)}.$$
(3.2.10)
Then (3.2.5) and (3.2.10) yield

$$h_{k_0,k}\frac{\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)}{24}=h_{k_0,k}^\nu \frac{c_1(k)}{24}=\frac{18k_0^212k_0k+2k^2+12k_05k}{72(k+2)}.$$
(3.2.11)
It now follows from (3.2.6), (3.2.9) and (3.2.11) that

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}(q)=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q).$$
(3.2.12)
Summarizing, we have

###### Theorem 3.2.1.

(i) $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega })`$ is a simple rational $`\frac{1}{3}𝐙`$-graded VOA of rank $`\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)`$ and the complete set of its inequivalent simple modules is $`\{(L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)}),Y)k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$.
(ii) $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ is a simple $`\nu `$-rational VOA of rank $`c_1(k)`$ and the complete set of its inequivalent simple $`\nu `$-twisted modules is $`\{(L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right),Y^\nu )`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$.
(iii) The $`q`$-trace of $`(L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)}),Y)`$ and the $`q`$-trace of $`(L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right),Y^\nu )`$ satisfy

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}(q)=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q)=F_{(1,2)}\left(e^{k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0k_1\mathrm{\Lambda }_1}\text{ch}L_{k_0,k}(A_1^{(1)})\right)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{3}}}q^{h_{k_0,k}^\nu \frac{c_1(k)}{24}}$$

for every $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$. $`\mathrm{}`$

As we mentioned in the introduction of Section 3, an ideal answer to Problem 1 would be that $`𝒪_1(k)`$ and $`𝒪_2(k)`$ are in fact the same set of simple modules for a rational VOA-like structure such that appropriate modifications of the characters (2.2.2)-(2.2.3) are the $`q`$-traces of these modules. If true, this would almost certainly require some modular invariance properties from the functions $`\stackrel{~}{\chi }_{_{k_0,k}}(\tau ):=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}(e^{2\pi i\tau })`$, where $`q=e^{2\pi i\tau }`$, $`\mathrm{}(\tau )>0`$. Indeed, it was proved in \[Z\] that the linear span of the $`q`$-traces of all the simple $`V`$-modules becomes a (finite-dimensional) module for the modular group in case $`V`$ is rational and $`C_2`$-finite, i.e., the space $`\{a_2ba,bV\}`$ has finite codimension in $`V`$. This modular invariance property has been generalized in a suitable sense to $`\nu `$-rational $`C_2`$-finite VOAs in \[DLiM4\]. Since most of the known $`\nu `$-rational VOAs – including $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ – are $`C_2`$-finite (cf. loc. cit.), Theorem 3.2.1 implies that the characters $`\stackrel{~}{\chi }_{_{k_0,k}}`$ do in fact satisfy the modular invariance property in the sense of \[DLiM4\]. Moreover, it can be shown that $`\stackrel{~}{\chi }_{_{k_0,k}}`$ is a modular function for some subgroup of finite index of the modular group (\[Bo\]).

###### Remark 3.2.2.

The above construction of $`\nu `$-twisted modules from untwisted modules follows from \[Li2, Proposition 5.4\]. A different but essentially equivalent construction was given in \[Li3\] by using the restricted dual and a certain automorphism, a procedure which in our case basically amounts to the change of Virasoro element. Since in the present situation all finite order automorphisms are inner, the previous constructions are actually a reflection of the fact that under the deformed action associated with the semisimple weight one primary vector $`\lambda h=\lambda h_1\mathrm{𝟏}`$, $`\lambda 𝐐`$, the simple (adjoint) module $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ is a so-called $`G`$-simple current in physical terminology, where $`G`$ is any torsion subgroup of $`\text{Aut}\left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})\right)`$ that contains $`\mathrm{exp}(2\pi i\lambda h(0))`$ (cf. \[DLiM3\]). Although such deformed actions also work for general modules, the simple current modules are particularly important from a physical point of view. This is mainly because they give rise to a tensor functor which acts as a permutation on the set of equivalence classes of irreducible weak modules (the associated matrix of the left multiplication of the equivalence class of a simple current module with respect to the standard basis of the Verlinde algebra is a permutation). We refer to \[DLiM3\], \[Li3\], and \[Li4\] for an in-depth discussion of simple current (twisted) modules and various simple current extensions of VOAs.

We now concentrate on the objects in $`𝒪_2(k)`$, namely the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ defined in (2.2.10). More specifically, we show that these spaces are twisted modules for a certain VOA lying inside $`L((2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_2^{(1)})`$ in such a way that their $`q`$-traces are well defined and actually equal to $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q^{1/2})`$.

Recall the setting and notations of §2.1-2.2. In particular, $`\mu `$ is the minus transpose map of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$, and $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)_{[i]}`$ is the $`(1)^i`$-eigenspace of $`\mu `$, $`i=0,1`$. Since $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)_{[0]}𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)`$, we may choose a basis $`\{E_1,F_1,H_1\}`$ of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)_{[0]}`$ such that $`[H_1,E_1]=2E_1`$, $`[H_1,F_1]=2F_1`$, and $`[E_1,F_1]=H_1`$. Then $`H_0:=[E_0,F_0]=H_1/2`$, where $`E_0`$ and $`F_0`$ are a lowest respectively highest weight vector of the $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)_{[0]}`$-module $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)_{[1]}`$, normalized so that $`[H_0,E_0]=2E_0`$. The CSA $`𝔰`$ of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ is chosen to be the principal one, that is

$$𝔰=\text{Cent}_{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}\left(E_0+E_1\right)=𝐂\text{-span}\{E_0+E_1,2F_0+F_1\}.$$
(3.2.13)
The form $`,`$ being normalized as in §2.1, one has that

$$E_0,F_0=1,E_1,F_1=4,H_1,H_1=8,[H_1,E_0]=4E_0,[H_1,F_0]=4F_0.$$
(3.2.14)
Let $`\eta =\mathrm{exp}(\pi i/3)`$ and recall from (2.1.1) the principal automorphism $`\sigma `$ of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$:

$$\sigma (H_i)=H_i,\sigma (E_i)=\eta E_i,i=0,1.$$
(3.2.15)
Equivalently, $`\sigma =\mathrm{exp}\left(\pi i\text{ad}(H_1)/6\right)\mu `$. Define the following elements of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$:

$$\begin{array}{cc}& a_1=\frac{1}{3}(E_0+E_1),a_2=\frac{1}{2}(2F_0+F_1),a_3=\frac{1}{3}(2E_0E_1),a_4=\frac{1}{4}(4F_0F_1),\hfill \\ & a_5=\frac{1}{2}[E_1,E_0],a_6=\frac{1}{2}[F_0,F_1],a_7=\frac{1}{2\sqrt{2}}H_1,a_8=\frac{1}{2\sqrt{6}}[E_1,[E_1,E_0]],\hfill \end{array}$$
(3.2.16)
and let $`\pi =(12)(34)(56)𝒮_8`$. Then $`\{a_ii\{1,\mathrm{},8\}\}`$ and $`\{a_{\pi (i)}i\{1,\mathrm{},8\}\}`$ are $`\sigma `$-homogeneous dual bases of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ such that $`\sigma (a_i)=\eta a_i`$, $`i=1,3`$, $`\sigma (a_i)=\eta ^5a_i`$, $`i=2,4`$, $`\sigma (a_5)=\eta ^2a_5`$, $`\sigma (a_6)=\eta ^4a_6`$, $`\sigma (a_7)=a_7`$, $`\sigma (a_8)=\eta ^3a_8`$, and $`\{a_1,a_2\}`$, $`\{a_2,a_1\}`$ are $`\sigma `$-homogeneous dual bases of $`𝔰`$. Consider now the following subalgebras of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}`$:

$$\widehat{𝔰}=𝔰𝐂[t,t^1]𝐂c,\stackrel{~}{𝔰}=\widehat{𝔰}𝐂d,\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}=[\stackrel{~}{𝔰},\stackrel{~}{𝔰}],\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_\pm ^{}=𝔰t^{\pm 1}𝐂[t^{\pm 1}].$$
(3.2.17)
Notice that $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}=\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_+^{}\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_{}^{}𝐂c`$ is a Heisenberg Lie subalgebra of $`\widehat{𝔰}`$, and form the induced irreducible $`\widehat{𝔰}`$-module (which is irreducible even as an $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}`$-module)

$$M(2k+1)=U(\widehat{𝔰})_{U(𝔰𝐂[t]𝐂c)}𝐂,$$
(3.2.18)
where $`𝔰𝐂[t]`$ acts trivially on $`𝐂`$ while $`c`$ acts as multiplication by $`2k+1`$. Recall that $`M(2k+1)S(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_{}^{})`$ as vector spaces, and that the action of $`\widehat{𝔰}`$ extends to $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}`$ by letting $`d`$ act as the degree operator, so that $`M(2k+1)`$ acquires thereby a $`𝐙`$-gradation.

###### Remark 3.2.3.

Notice that $`𝔰_{(1)}=𝐂a_1`$ and $`𝔰_{(5)}=𝐂a_2`$, and let

$$\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]=𝔰_{(1)}t^{1/6}𝐂[t,t^1]𝔰_{(5)}t^{5/6}𝐂[t,t^1]𝐂c.$$
(3.2.19)
Then $`\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]=\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}=[\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ],\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]]`$, where $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]\stackrel{~}{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ is defined in (2.2.8).

Let now $`V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})=L((2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_2^{(1)})`$. When considered as a $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}`$-module, $`V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})`$ decomposes by \[FLM, Theorem 1.7.3\] as $`V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})=M(2k+1)\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}S(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_{}^{})\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}`$, where $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}`$ is the vacuum subspace of $`V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})`$ for the action of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}^{}`$. Set

$`\omega ^{}={\displaystyle \frac{1}{4(k+2)}}{\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{8}{}}}a_i(1)a_{\pi (i)}(1)\mathrm{𝟏}V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)}),`$ (3.2.20)
$`\omega _1={\displaystyle \frac{1}{2(2k+1)}}{\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{2}{}}}a_i(1)a_{\pi (i)}(1)\mathrm{𝟏}M(2k+1).`$ (3.2.21)
By Theorems 3.1.4 and 3.1.5, $`(V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega ^{})`$ is a $`\sigma `$-rational VOA of rank $`c(k):=\frac{4(2k+1)}{k+2}`$ and $`\{(L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right),Y^\sigma )k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}\}`$ is the complete set of its simple $`\sigma `$-twisted modules, the map $`Y^\sigma `$ being as in (3.1.5). On the other hand, $`M(2k+1)`$ is stable under $`Y(a,z)|_{M(2k+1)}`$ for all $`aM(2k+1)`$, and it is not difficult to prove that when equipped with the restricted map, $`(M(2k+1),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega _1)`$ becomes a VOA of rank $`dim𝔰=2`$ (cf., e.g., \[DL1\], \[Li1\]). Moreover, $`(M(\sigma ;2k+1),Y^\sigma )`$ is a simple $`\sigma `$-twisted $`M(2k+1)`$-module, where $`M(\sigma ;2k+1)`$ is the irreducible $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$-module defined in (2.2.9).

Let $`\{\beta _1,\beta _2\}𝔰^{}`$ be the basis of the root system of $`𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ with associated coroots $`\{a_1+a_2,\eta ^2a_1\eta a_2\}`$. Form the root lattice $`Q=𝐙\beta _1+𝐙\beta _2`$ and note that

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}=\underset{\beta Q}{}\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^\beta ,\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^\beta =\{v\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}a(0)v=\beta (a)v\text{ for }a𝔰\}.$$
(3.2.22)
Then

$`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ $`=\{vV_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})a(n)v=0\text{ for }a𝔰,n0\}`$ (3.2.23)
$`=\{vV_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})a(n)v=0\text{ for }aM(2k+1),n0\},`$
and it follows from (3.2.20) and (3.2.21) that

$$\omega _2:=\omega ^{}\omega _1\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0.$$
(3.2.24)
Let $`Y(\omega ^{},z)=_{n𝐙}L(n)z^{n2}`$ and $`Y(\omega _i,z)=_{n𝐙}L^i(n)z^{n2}`$, $`i=1,2`$, so that $`L(n)=L^1(n)+L^2(n)`$. Then $`L^1(1)b=0`$ for every $`b\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ by (3.2.23), hence $`Y(L^2(1)b,z)=Y(L(1)b,z)=\frac{d}{dz}Y(b,z)`$. Furthermore, (3.2.21) implies that $`L(1)\omega _1=0`$ and then by \[FZ, Theorem 5.1\] one gets that $`[L^1(m),L^2(n)]=0`$ and

$$[L^2(m),L^2(n)]=(mn)L^2(m+n)+\frac{1}{12}(m^3m)\delta _{m+n,0}c_2(k)\text{ for }m,n𝐙,$$

where $`c_2(k):=c(k)2=2c_1(k)`$. By (3.1.1) and (3.2.23) $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ is closed under vertex operators so that when equipped with the restricted map, $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega _2)`$ becomes a VOA of rank $`c_2(k)`$.

###### Remark 3.2.4.

(i) Since $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^\beta ,Y)`$, $`\beta Q`$, are inequivalent simple $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-modules, the VOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ is not rational. It is also easy to see that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ is in fact a simple VOA.
(ii) It follows from \[FZ, Theorem 5.2\] that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ can equivalently be defined as the set $`\{vV_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})L^1(1)v=0\}`$. Using the terminology of \[FZ\], we may call $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ the commutant of $`M(2k+1)`$ (the commutant construction corresponds to the coset construction in physics). Notice also that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ has no weight one vectors, as it can be seen directly from the structure of $`N((2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0)`$ (cf. (A.3) in the Appendix for $`k=1`$).

Fix $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$ and denote the vertex operators on $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)`$ associated to $`\omega ^{}`$ and $`\omega _i`$, $`i=1,2`$, respectively by

$$Y^\sigma (\omega ^{},z)=\underset{n𝐙}{}L(n)z^{n2},Y^\sigma (\omega _i,z)=\underset{n𝐙}{}L^i(n)z^{n2},i=1,2,$$
(3.2.25)
so that $`L(n)=L^1(n)+L^2(n)`$. Then $`[L^1(m),L^2(n)]=0`$, $`m,n𝐙`$, and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ is stable under $`Y^\sigma (a,z)`$ for all $`a\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ by (3.1.1). Let $`v_{k_0}\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ be a highest weight vector of $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]\right)`$. Recall that $`L(0)`$ induces a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-gradation on this module and let $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1})_s=\{v\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}L^2(0)v=sv\}`$, $`s𝐂`$. Since $`L^1(0)`$ acts as a scalar operator on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ (cf. (3.2.27) below), it follows that $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},Y^\sigma )`$ is a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-graded weak $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-module such that

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}=\underset{n\frac{1}{6}𝐍}{}(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1})_{n+\lambda (k_0)},dim(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1})_{\lambda (k_0)}=1,dim(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1})_{n+\lambda (k_0)}<\mathrm{},n\frac{1}{6}𝐍,$$

where $`\lambda (k_0)𝐐`$ is the lowest weight of $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ given by $`L^2(0)v_{k_0}=\lambda (k_0)v_{k_0}`$. Thus $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},Y^\sigma )`$ is in fact a $`\sigma `$-twisted $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega _2)`$-module whose $`q`$-trace is

$`f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q):`$ $`=\text{tr}_{_{\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}}}q^{L^2(0)\frac{c_2(k)}{24}}=q^{\lambda (k_0)\frac{c_2(k)}{24}}{\displaystyle \underset{n=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}(dim\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}\right)_{\frac{n}{6}+\lambda (k_0)})q^{\frac{n}{6}}`$ (3.2.26)
$`=q^{\lambda (k_0)\frac{c_2(k)}{24}}dim_{}\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},`$
where $`dim_{}\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ is as in (2.2.11). In order to compute $`\lambda (k_0)`$, let us again denote the canonical generators of $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ as in Remark 2.1.1. Note that $`H_1=\frac{1}{3}(h_1^\sigma 4h_0^\sigma )`$, and that from Lemma 3.1.6 and the definitions of $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ and $`\omega _1`$ it follows that

$$L^1(0)|_{\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}}=\frac{5}{72}\text{id}_{_{\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}}}.$$
(3.2.27)
Applying Lemma 3.1.6 to each term in (3.2.20) one gets that

$$L(0)v_{k_0}=\frac{18k_0^212k_0k+2k^2+12k_0+41k+20}{144(k+2)}v_{k_0}.$$
(3.2.28)
Then (3.2.27) and (3.2.28) give

$$\lambda (k_0)=\frac{18k_0^212k_0k+2k^2+12k_0+31k}{144(k+2)},$$

so that by (3.2.11)

$$\lambda (k_0)\frac{c_2(k)}{24}=\frac{1}{2}\left(h_{k_0,k}\frac{\stackrel{~}{c}_1(k)}{24}\right)=\frac{1}{2}\left(h_{k_0,k}^\nu \frac{c_1(k)}{24}\right).$$
(3.2.29)
Plugging (3.2.29) in (3.2.26) and comparing with (3.2.6) and (3.2.9), one concludes that

$$f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q)=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}(q^{1/2})=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q^{1/2})\text{ for }k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}.$$
(3.2.30)
Summarizing, we proved

###### Theorem 3.2.5.

$`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0,Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\omega _2)`$ is a simple VOA of rank $`c_2(k)=2c_1(k)`$. Moreover, for every $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$, $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},Y^\sigma )`$ is a $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-module whose $`q`$-trace $`f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q)`$ satisfies $`f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q)=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q^{1/2})`$, where $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q)`$ is as in Theorem 3.2.1. $`\mathrm{}`$

###### Remark 3.2.6.

As in the $`A_1^{(1)}`$-case, one could at first consider $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(A_2^{(2)}\right)`$ just as a simple $`\mu `$-twisted $`V_{2k+1}\left(A_2^{(1)}\right)`$-module, and then use Proposition 3.1.2 in order to modify $`\omega ^{}`$ appropriately. Indeed, let $`\stackrel{~}{\omega }^{}=\omega ^{}+\frac{1}{12}H_1(2)\mathrm{𝟏}`$. It is easily checked that $`(V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)}),Y,\mathrm{𝟏},\stackrel{~}{\omega }^{})`$ becomes a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐍`$-graded VOA of rank $`\frac{2(2k+1)(4k)}{3(k+2)}`$ such that its $`q`$-trace coincides up to a power of $`q`$ with the rescaled $`(4,1,1)`$-specialization of $`e^{(2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0}\text{ch}L((2k+1)\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_2^{(1)})`$. Then $`\stackrel{~}{\omega }_1^{}`$ induces the rescaled principal gradation on $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(A_2^{(2)}\right)`$, as needed. However, in this “picture” one does not get a representation of $`\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]`$ on $`L_{k_0,2k+1}\left(A_2^{(2)}\right)`$ by means of $`\mu `$-twisted vertex operators parametrized by some elements of $`V_{2k+1}\left(A_2^{(1)}\right)`$ (see also (A.2) in the Appendix). In order to achieve this, one would have to deform the $`\mu `$-twisted vertex operators into $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operators as in \[Li2, Proposition 5.4\], which reduces essentially to the viewpoint adopted above.

Let us now see how appropriate the structures of Theorem 3.2.1 and Theorem 3.2.5 are in the context of Problems 1 and 2. As shown in the Appendix for $`k=1`$, $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ and $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ may in fact be nonisomorphic even as $`𝐙`$-graded vector spaces. However, it is important to notice that the $`q`$-traces $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q)`$ and $`f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q)`$ are actually equal only up to the transformation $`qq^{\frac{1}{2}}`$. Moreover, both the ranks of the VOAs $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ and the orders of the automorphisms $`\nu `$ and $`\sigma `$ differ by the same factor $`2`$. Obviously, it would be preferable not to have these differences, if possible. This can actually be arranged by using the recently developed permutation orbifold theory (\[BDM\]), as we shall now explain.

Recall from (3.1.9) that the tensor product VOA $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2,Y_{_{}},\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{}},\omega _{_{}})`$ has rank $`c_2(k)=2c_1(k)`$, and notice that the diagonal action of $`\text{Aut}\left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})\right)`$ on $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ commutes with the action of the symmetric group $`𝒮_2`$ on $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$. Let $`\psi `$ be the generator of $`𝒮_2`$ and form the 6-th order automorphism $`\tau =\nu ^2\psi \text{Aut}\left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2\right)`$. Given a $`\nu `$-twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$-module $`M`$, one may define a structure of $`\tau `$–twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$-module on $`M`$ in the following way. By \[Hua, Proposition 2.1.1\], the identity

$$(\mathrm{exp}(\underset{j𝐙_+}{}C_jx^{j+1}\frac{d}{dx}))x=x+\frac{x^2}{2}$$
(3.2.31)
uniquely determines a sequence $`\{C_j\}_{_{j𝐙_+}}𝐐^{\mathrm{}}`$, and one defines the operator

$$\mathrm{\Delta }_2(z)=\mathrm{exp}\left(\underset{j𝐙_+}{}C_jz^{\frac{j}{2}}L(j)\right)2^{L(0)}z^{\frac{1}{2}L(0)}\left(\text{End}V_k(A_1^{(1)})\right)\left[[z^{1/2},z^{1/2}]\right],$$
(3.2.32)
where $`L(j)=\text{Res}_zz^{j+1}Y(\omega ,z)`$, $`j𝐙_+`$, and $`2^{L(0)}z^{\frac{1}{2}L(0)}`$ acts on each homogeneous subspace $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})_n`$ as $`2^nz^{n/2}`$, $`n𝐙`$. Recall that $`\eta =\mathrm{exp}(\pi i/3)`$ and let $`r\{0,1,2\}`$ and $`aV_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ be such that $`\nu (a)=\eta ^{2r}a`$. Define the following operators:

$$\begin{array}{cc}& Y^\tau (a\mathrm{𝟏},z)=Y^\nu (\mathrm{\Delta }_2(z)a,z^{1/2})(\text{End}M)\left[[z^{1/6},z^{1/6}]\right],\hfill \\ & Y^\tau (\mathrm{𝟏}a,z)=\eta ^2\underset{z^{1/6}\eta z^{1/6}}{lim}Y^\tau (a\mathrm{𝟏},z)(\text{End}M)\left[[z^{1/6},z^{1/6}]\right].\hfill \end{array}$$
(3.2.33)
It was proved in \[BDM\] that $`\{Y^\tau (a\mathrm{𝟏},z),Y^\tau (\mathrm{𝟏}b,z)a,bV_k(A_1^{(1)})\}`$ generates a local system of $`\tau `$-twisted vertex operators in the sense of \[Li2\]. By using the theory of loc. cit., it was further shown in \[BDM, §3 and §6\] that the vertex map $`Y^\tau `$ extends to the whole space $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ in such a way that $`(M,Y^\tau )`$ becomes a $`\tau `$-twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$-module. Then one can prove:

###### Theorem 3.2.7.

The VOA $`(V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2,Y_{_{}},\mathrm{𝟏}_{_{}},\omega _{_{}})`$ of rank $`c_2(k)`$ is $`\tau `$-rational and its irreducible $`\tau `$-twisted modules are exactly $`(L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right),Y^\tau )`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$. Moreover, the $`q`$-trace $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\tau (q)`$ of $`(L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right),Y^\tau )`$ coincides with the $`q`$-trace $`f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q)`$ of the $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-module $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1},Y^\sigma )`$, and one has

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\tau (q)=f_{_{k_0,2k+1}}(q)=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q^{1/2}),k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\},$$
(3.2.34)
where $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q)`$ is as in Theorem 3.2.1.

###### Proof.

The first statement follows from Theorems 6.8, 6.4, and 3.8 in \[BDM\], so that it remains to prove (3.2.34). Recall that $`\omega _{_{}}=\omega \mathrm{𝟏}+\mathrm{𝟏}\omega `$ and write $`Y^\tau (\omega _{_{}},z)=_{n𝐙}L^\tau (n)z^{n2}`$. By (3.2.33) one has

$$Y^\tau (\omega _{_{}},z)=Y^\nu (\mathrm{\Delta }_2(z)\omega ,z^{1/2})+\eta ^2\underset{z^{1/6}\eta z^{1/6}}{lim}Y^\nu (\mathrm{\Delta }_2(z)\omega ,z^{1/2}).$$
(3.2.35)
The constants $`C_j`$ in (3.2.31) may be computed reccurrently for small values of $`j`$. For instance, $`C_1=\frac{1}{2}`$ and $`C_2=\frac{1}{4}`$. Moreover, the Virasoro algebra commutation relations for the VOA $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$ imply that $`L(2)\omega =\frac{c_1(k)}{2}\mathrm{𝟏}`$ and $`L(1)\omega =L(j)\omega =0`$ for $`j3`$ (cf. \[FHL\]). Then (3.2.32) yields

$$\mathrm{\Delta }_2(z)\omega =\frac{z^1}{4}\left(\omega +\frac{c_1(k)C_2}{2}z^1\right)=\frac{z^1}{4}\left(\omega +\frac{c_1(k)}{8}z^1\right),$$

so that

$$Y^\nu (\mathrm{\Delta }_2(z)\omega ,z^{1/2})=\frac{z^1}{4}Y^\nu (\omega ,z^{1/2})+\frac{c_1(k)}{32}\text{id}_{_{M_{k_0,k}}},$$
(3.2.36)
where $`M_{k_0,k}:=L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$. Plugging (3.2.36) in (3.2.35) and then extracting the coefficient of $`z^2`$ from (3.2.35) one gets that $`L^\tau (0)=\frac{1}{2}L(0)+\frac{c_1(k)}{16}\text{id}_{_{M_{k_0,k}}}`$, and thus

$$L^\tau (0)\frac{c_2(k)}{24}\text{id}_{_{M_{k_0,k}}}=\frac{1}{2}\left(L(0)\frac{c_1(k)}{24}\text{id}_{_{M_{k_0,k}}}\right)$$

since $`c_2(k)=2c_1(k)`$. It then follows from (3.2.9) that

$$\text{tr}_{_{M_{k_0,k}}}q^{L^\tau (0)\frac{c_2(k)}{24}}=\text{tr}_{_{M_{k_0,k}}}q^{\frac{1}{2}(L(0)\frac{c_1(k)}{24})}=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\nu (q^{1/2}),$$

which is the same as (3.2.34). ∎

###### Remark 3.2.8.

(i) As used here, a $`\nu `$-twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$-module is the same as a $`\nu ^1`$-twisted $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})`$-module in the sense of \[BDM\]. Note that $`\nu ^1=\nu ^2`$ in our case.
(ii) An interesting similarity between the automorphisms $`\tau `$ and $`\sigma `$ is that both of them are compositions of two commuting automorphisms of orders 3 and 2 in $`\text{Aut}\left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2\right)`$ and $`\text{Aut}\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0\right)`$ respectively (cf. (3.2.15)). Note also that in both cases the order 3 automorphism is inner and the involution is outer.

In view of Theorems 3.2.5 and 3.2.7, one may ask whether the VOAs $`V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ are isomorphic. As shown in the Appendix for $`k=1`$, this is not necessarily true. On the other hand, nothing was mentioned so far about the irreducibility of the $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-modules $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$. Note that in the level one case – which is excluded from the present discussion – the $`\mathrm{\Omega }_1^0`$-module $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{0,1}`$ is trivially irreducible since $`dim\mathrm{\Omega }_{0,1}=1`$, as it can be seen from (2.2.5) and (2.2.11). The general results on coset constructions and dual pairs for VOAs recently obtained in \[DM\] seem to indicate that these $`\sigma `$-twisted $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$-modules are indeed simple, but this is highly non-trivial for $`k1`$. We shall discuss such irreducibility questions in a different setting in §4.4.

###### Remark 3.2.9.

(i) As a step in the direction suggested in Problem 2, one could investigate whether $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ are isomorphic $`Vir`$-modules with central charge $`c_2(k)`$ (cf. Theorems 3.2.5 and 3.2.7). Note though that even if true, this would not provide a fully satisfactory answer to Problem 2 since $`L_{k_0,k}\left(\widehat{𝔰𝔩(2,𝐂)}[\nu ]\right)`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ are not simple $`Vir`$-modules.
(ii) Let $`V`$ be a VOA with a finite order automorphism $`\sigma `$ and denote by $`A_\sigma (V)`$ the twisted analogue of Zhu’s algebra $`A(V)`$ (cf. \[DLiM2\], \[Z\]). Using the results of \[DLiM2\] one can actually show that $`A_\tau \left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})^2\right)A_\nu \left(V_k(A_1^{(1)})\right)A_\sigma \left(V_{2k+1}(A_2^{(1)})\right)`$. However, this is more a reformulation of the fact that $`|𝒪_1(k)|=|𝒪_2(k)|=k+1`$ rather than a conceptual explanation to Theorem 2.2.1.

## 4. The GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ and its action on the spaces in $`𝒪_2(k)`$

Continuing our study of Problem 1, we shall now embed $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ into a larger structure, namely a simple GVOA which acts irreducibly on each of the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ without altering the $`q`$-traces $`f_{k_0,2k+1}(q)`$ of (3.2.26) (Theorems 4.4.3 and 4.4.8). This new structure is defined as the quotient $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ of the vacuum space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}`$ by the action of a certain infinite abelian group $`A`$, and it acts on the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$ by means of quotient relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operators (introduced in \[DL2\]) whose component operators generate an algebra that includes the $`\sigma `$-twisted $`𝒵`$-algebra of \[LW\]. This is done by using the diagonal action of $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ on the tensor product of $`2k+1`$ copies of the basic standard $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$-module, together with the fact that each standard $`\widehat{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$-module of level $`2k+1`$ can be isomorphically embedded into this tensor product (cf. §2.1). As we explain at the end of §4.4, the GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ appears to be a more appropriate tool than the VOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^0`$ for further investigating Problem 1. The main reason for that is the “equivalence theorem” \[LW, Theorem 5.5\], which essentially establishes an equivalence between appropriately defined module categories for $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)}[\sigma ]`$ and (an algebra that includes) the $`\sigma `$-twisted $`𝒵`$-algebra.

The methods used below are based on \[DL1\], \[DL2\], \[L2\], \[LW\], where a great many technical ingredients were used. Since the proofs of our main results in §4.4 require a careful analysis of most of these ingredients, we first recall in §4.1-§4.3 some of the constructions of loc. cit. and adapt them to our particular case. We refer to the above-mentioned papers for additional details.

Throughout this section we let $`l=2k+1`$, where $`k𝐙_+`$ is fixed, and we assume that $`𝔤=𝔰𝔩(3,𝐂)`$ with the bilinear form $`,`$ normalized as in §2.1. The notations introduced below will partially overlap with some of the previous sections, as we need to work in the setting of \[DL1\] and \[DL2\].

### 4.1. The new setting

Recall from §3.2 the root basis $`\{\beta _1,\beta _2\}`$ and the root lattice $`Q`$ of $`𝔤`$, and let $`\mathrm{\Phi }`$ be its root system. Let $`\sigma _1`$ be the reflection with respect to $`\beta _1`$ and $`\mu `$ be the automorphism of $`Q`$ induced by the Dynkin diagram automorphism determined by $`\mu \beta _1=\beta _2`$, $`\mu \beta _2=\beta _1`$. Recall (3.2.13)-(3.2.16) and note that the linear extension of $`\sigma _1\mu `$ to $`Q_𝐙𝐂`$ coincides with the restriction to $`𝔰`$ of the principal automorphism $`\sigma `$ of $`𝔤`$, where $`𝔰`$ and $`Q_𝐙𝐂`$ are identified via the form $`,`$. Since $`\sigma _1\mu \sigma `$ is a “twisted Coxeter element” of order 6, one has

$$\underset{p=0}{\overset{5}{}}\sigma ^p\alpha =0,\underset{p=0}{\overset{5}{}}p\sigma ^p\alpha ,\beta 0mod6\text{ for }\alpha ,\beta Q\text{.}$$
(4.1.1)
Moreover, $`Q`$ is a positive definite even lattice, $`\sigma ^3\alpha ,\alpha =\alpha ,\alpha 2𝐙\text{ for }\alpha Q`$, and $`,`$ is $`\sigma `$-invariant. Denote by $`\eta `$ the cyclic group of order 6 generated by $`\eta =\mathrm{exp}(\pi i/3)`$. Set

$$L=Q_1\mathrm{}Q_l,$$
(4.1.2)
where each $`Q_i`$ is a copy of $`Q`$. We write $`\alpha _iQ_i`$ for the element corresponding to $`\alpha Q`$, and we extend the form $`,`$ to $`L`$ so that $`Q_i`$ and $`Q_j`$ are orthogonal if $`ij`$.

Consider the $`\sigma `$-invariant alternating $`𝐙`$-bilinear maps $`c_0`$, $`c_0^\sigma :L\times L𝐙/6𝐙`$ defined by $`c_0(\alpha ,\beta )=3\alpha ,\beta +6𝐙`$ respectively $`c_0^\sigma (\alpha ,\beta )=_{p=0}^5(3+p)\sigma ^p\alpha ,\beta +6𝐙`$ for $`\alpha ,\beta L`$. Notice that $`c_0^\sigma (\alpha ,\beta )0mod6`$ for every $`\alpha ,\beta L`$, and set

$$c(\alpha ,\beta )=\eta ^{c_0(\alpha ,\beta )}=(1)^{\alpha ,\beta },c_\sigma (\alpha ,\beta )=\eta ^{c_0^\sigma (\alpha ,\beta )}=1,\alpha ,\beta L.$$
(4.1.3)
Define also

$$ϵ_0(\alpha ,\beta )=\alpha +\sigma \alpha ,\beta +6𝐙,ϵ(\alpha ,\beta )=\eta ^{ϵ_0(\alpha ,\beta )},\alpha ,\beta L.$$
(4.1.4)
Then $`ϵ_0(,)`$ is a $`\sigma `$-invariant 2-cocycle on $`L`$ satisfying

$$ϵ_0(\alpha ,\beta )ϵ_0(\beta ,\alpha )=c_0(\alpha ,\beta )c_0^\sigma (\alpha ,\beta )=c_0(\alpha ,\beta ),$$
(4.1.5)
and it follows from (4.1.1) together with $`\sigma ^3=1`$ that $`ϵ_0(\alpha ,\beta )0mod3`$. Therefore, $`ϵ(,)`$ is $`\sigma `$-invariant and $`ϵ(\alpha ,\beta )\{\pm 1\}`$ for $`\alpha ,\beta L`$. Up to equivalence, the commutator maps $`c`$ and $`c_\sigma `$ uniquely determine two central extensions of $`L`$

$$1\eta \widehat{L}\overline{}L1\text{ and }\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}1}\eta \widehat{L}_\sigma \overline{}L1$$
(4.1.6)
by the commutator relations

$$aba^1b^1=c(\overline{a},\overline{b})\text{ for }a,b\widehat{L}\text{ respectively }aba^1b^1=c_\sigma (\overline{a},\overline{b})=1\text{ for }a,b\widehat{L}_\sigma .$$
(4.1.7)
Notice that $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ is a split extension of $`L`$, so that $`\widehat{L}_\sigma =\eta \times L`$. One has a set-theoretic identification between the groups $`\widehat{L}`$ and $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ such that the respective group multiplications $`\times `$ and $`\times _\sigma `$ satisfy

$$a\times b=ϵ(\overline{a},\overline{b})a\times _\sigma b.$$
(4.1.8)
Moreover, $`\sigma `$ lifts to an automorphism $`\widehat{\sigma }`$ of $`\widehat{L}`$ such that

$$\widehat{\sigma }\eta =\eta ,\overline{\widehat{\sigma }a}=\sigma \overline{a}\text{ for }a\widehat{L},$$
(4.1.9)
and such a lifting is unique up to multiplication by a lifting of the identity automorphism of $`L`$ (cf. \[FLM, Proposition 5.4.1\]). Since $`ϵ(,)`$ is $`\sigma `$-invariant, one gets from (4.1.8) that $`\widehat{\sigma }`$ is also an automorphism of $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ covering $`\sigma `$. Let

$`e:L`$ $`\widehat{L}`$ (4.1.10)
$`\alpha `$ $`e_\alpha =(1,\alpha )`$
be the section corresponding to the cocycle $`ϵ_0(,)`$, i.e., $`\overline{e}_\alpha =\alpha `$, $`e_\alpha e_\beta =ϵ(\alpha ,\beta )e_{\alpha +\beta }`$, $`\alpha ,\beta L`$. Note that the bilinearity of $`ϵ_0(,)`$ implies that $`e_0=1(=(1,0))`$.

###### Remark 4.1.1.

(i) The lattice in (4.1.2) is denoted by $`L_0`$ in \[DL1, Ch. 13 & 14\], where one defines $`L`$ to be the direct sum of $`l`$ copies of the weight lattice of $`𝔤`$ instead (so that $`L_0`$ is the dual lattice of $`L`$ in $`L_𝐙𝐂`$). For our purposes though, it will suffice to use only the root lattice $`Q`$.
(ii) The 2-cocycle $`ϵ_0(,)`$ is cohomologous to the one defined in \[DL2, (2.13)\], from which it differs by the 2-coboundary $`L\times L(\alpha ,\beta )2\alpha ,\beta +6𝐙𝐙/6𝐙`$.

Applying the above discussion to a single copy of the root lattice $`Q`$, one gets from \[FLM, Ch. 6\] and \[LW, §8\] that there exist $`x_\alpha 𝔤`$ ($`\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }`$) such that $`𝔤=𝔰_{\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }}𝐂x_\alpha `$ and

$$\sigma x_\alpha =x_{\sigma \alpha },𝔰^{}=0,[h,x_\alpha ]=h,\alpha x_\alpha ,[x_\alpha ,x_\beta ]=\{\begin{array}{cc}ϵ(\alpha ,\alpha )\alpha \hfill & \text{ if }\alpha +\beta =0,\hfill \\ ϵ(\alpha ,\beta )x_{\alpha +\beta }\hfill & \text{ if }\alpha +\beta \mathrm{\Phi },\hfill \\ 0\hfill & \text{ if }\alpha +\beta \mathrm{\Phi }\{0\},\hfill \end{array}$$

for $`h𝔰`$ and $`\alpha ,\beta \mathrm{\Phi }`$. It is well-known that the bilinear form $`,`$ of $`𝔤`$ satisfies

$$h,x_\alpha =0,x_\alpha ,x_\beta =\{\begin{array}{cc}ϵ(\alpha ,\alpha )\hfill & \text{ if }\alpha +\beta =0,\hfill \\ 0\hfill & \text{ if }\alpha +\beta 0\hfill \end{array}$$

for $`\alpha ,\beta \mathrm{\Phi }`$ and $`h𝔰`$. Recall the $`\sigma `$-decomposition $`𝔤=_{j𝐙/6𝐙}𝔤_{(j)}`$ and let $`𝔤_{(n)}=𝔤_{(nmod6)}`$ for $`n𝐙`$. Note also that $`𝔰=𝔰_{(1)}𝔰_{(5)}`$ (cf. (3.2.19)). Let further $`x_{(n)}`$ denote the projection of $`x𝔤`$ on $`𝔤_{(n)}`$, $`n𝐙`$, and set

$$x(z)=\underset{n𝐙}{}(xt^n)z^{n1},x(\sigma ;z)=\underset{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙}{}(x_{(6n)}t^n)z^{n1}.$$
(4.1.11)
We denote by $`,`$ as well the bilinear form induced on the space

$$𝔥=L_𝐙𝐂.$$
(4.1.12)
Let now $`𝔥_{}`$ be a subspace of $`𝔥`$ on which $`,`$ remains nonsingular, so that

$$𝔥=𝔥_{}𝔥_{}^{},$$
(4.1.13)
where  denotes the orthogonal complement. We also assume that

$$\sigma 𝔥_{}=𝔥_{}$$
(4.1.14)
and we write

$$\begin{array}{cc}\hfill 𝔥& 𝔥_{}^{}\hfill \\ \hfill h& h^{}\hfill \end{array}\text{ , }\begin{array}{cc}\hfill 𝔥& 𝔥_{}\hfill \\ \hfill h& h^{\prime \prime }\hfill \end{array}$$
(4.1.15)
for the projection maps to $`𝔥_{}^{}`$ and $`𝔥_{}`$ respectively. By (4.1.14), these maps commute with the action of $`\sigma `$. In §4.2-§4.3 we shall work with an arbitrary space $`𝔥_{}`$ satisfying (4.1.13)-(4.1.14). This flexibility for the choice of $`𝔥_{}`$ will allow us to recover the usual (unrelativized) untwisted and twisted vertex operators by taking $`𝔥_{}=0`$, in which case the index  will be removed from the notation. In §4.4 though we shall specify $`𝔥_{}`$ to be the image of $`𝔰`$ under its diagonal embedding in $`𝔥`$.

### 4.2. Relative untwisted vertex operators

Form the induced $`\widehat{L}`$-module and $`𝐂`$-algebra $`𝐂\{L\}=𝐂[\widehat{L}]_{𝐂[\eta ]}𝐂𝐂[L]`$ (linearly), where $`𝐂[]`$ denotes the group algebra and $`\eta `$ acts on $`𝐂`$ as multiplication by $`\eta `$ (here $`\eta `$ is understood as an abstract group disjoint from $`𝐂^\times `$). For $`a\widehat{L}`$, let $`\iota (a)=a1`$ be the image of $`a`$ in $`𝐂\{L\}`$. Then the action of $`\widehat{L}`$ on $`𝐂\{L\}`$ and the product in $`𝐂\{L\}`$ are given by:

$$a\iota (b)=\iota (a)\iota (b)=\iota (ab),\eta \iota (b)=\eta \iota (b)$$
(4.2.1)
for $`a,b\widehat{L}`$. We endow $`𝐂\{L\}`$ with the $`𝐂`$-gradation determined by

$$\text{wt}(\iota (a))=\frac{1}{2}\overline{a}^{},\overline{a}^{}\text{ for }a\widehat{L},$$
(4.2.2)
and we define a grading-preserving action of $`𝔥`$ on $`𝐂\{L\}`$ by

$$h\iota (a)=h^{},\overline{a}\iota (a)$$
(4.2.3)
for $`h𝔥`$. The automorphism $`\widehat{\sigma }`$ of $`\widehat{L}`$ acts canonically and in a grading-preserving fashion on $`𝐂\{L\}`$ such that $`\widehat{\sigma }\iota (a)=\iota (\widehat{\sigma }a)`$, $`a\widehat{L}`$, and $`\widehat{\sigma }(\iota (a)\iota (b))=\widehat{\sigma }(a\iota (b))=\widehat{\sigma }(a)\widehat{\sigma }\iota (b)=\widehat{\sigma }\iota (a)\widehat{\sigma }\iota (b)`$. Then $`𝔥`$ acts as algebra derivations and $`\widehat{\sigma }(h\iota (a))=\sigma (h)\widehat{\sigma }\iota (a)`$, $`h𝔥`$, $`a\widehat{L}`$. Define also an action $`z^h\iota (a)=z^{h^{},\overline{a}}\iota (a)`$ for $`h𝔥`$, $`a\widehat{L}`$, so that $`\widehat{\sigma }(z^h\iota (a))=z^{\sigma (h)}\widehat{\sigma }\iota (a)`$.

Form the algebras

$$\widehat{𝔥}=𝔥𝐂[t,t^1]𝐂c,\stackrel{~}{𝔥}=\widehat{𝔥}𝐂d,\stackrel{~}{𝔥}^{}=[\stackrel{~}{𝔥},\stackrel{~}{𝔥}],\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_\pm ^{}=𝔥t^{\pm 1}𝐂[t^{\pm 1}],$$
(4.2.4)
and notice that $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}^{}=\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_+^{}\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{}𝐂c`$ is a Heisenberg Lie subalgebra of the affine Lie algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}`$. On $`\widehat{𝔥}`$ we define a weight gradation associated with $`𝔥_{}`$ by

$$\text{wt}(xt^m)=0,\text{wt}(yt^n)=n,\text{wt}(c)=0$$
(4.2.5)
for $`x𝔥_{}`$, $`y𝔥_{}^{}`$, and $`m,n𝐙`$. By analogy with (3.2.18), we consider the induced irreducible $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}^{}`$\- and $`\widehat{𝔥}`$-module $`M(1,𝔥)=U(\widehat{𝔥})_{U(𝔥𝐂[t]𝐂c)}𝐂S(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})`$ (linearly), where $`𝔥𝐂[t]`$ acts trivially on $`𝐂`$ and $`c`$ acts as 1. It follows from (4.2.5) that $`M(1,𝔥)`$ is $`𝐙`$-graded so that $`\text{wt}(1)=0`$. Moreover, $`\sigma `$ acts in a natural grading-preserving way on $`\widehat{𝔥}`$ (fixing $`c`$) and on $`M(1,𝔥)`$. Set

$$V_L=M(1,𝔥)_𝐂𝐂\{L\}S(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_𝐂𝐂[L]\text{ (linearly)},$$
(4.2.6)
and endow $`V_L`$ with the tensor product $`𝐂`$-gradation. In particular, $`\text{wt}(\iota (1))=0`$, $`𝐂\{L\}`$ being naturally identified with $`1𝐂\{L\}`$. Then $`\widehat{L}`$, $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}^{}`$, $`𝔥`$, $`z^h`$ ($`h𝔥`$) act naturally on $`V_L`$ by acting either on $`M(1,𝔥)`$ or $`𝐂\{L\}`$ as indicated above. The automorphism $`\widehat{\sigma }`$ acts in a grading-preserving way on $`V_L`$ via $`\sigma \widehat{\sigma }`$, and this action is compatible with the other actions (cf. \[DL2, (3.23)-(3.25)\]). The relations

$$i(h)=\left(h_1(1)+\mathrm{}+h_l(1)\right)\iota (1),h𝔰,\text{ and }i(x_\alpha )=\iota (e_{\alpha _1})+\mathrm{}+\iota (e_{\alpha _l}),\alpha \mathrm{\Phi },$$
(4.2.7)
define a linear injection $`i`$ from $`𝔤`$ to $`V_L`$. For $`\alpha 𝔥`$, $`n𝐙`$, we denote by $`\alpha (n)`$ the operator on $`V_L`$ determined by $`\alpha t^n`$, and we let $`\alpha (z)=_{n𝐙}\alpha (n)z^{n1}`$.

We can now introduce the relative untwisted vertex operators of \[DL1\]. These operators are parametrized by elements of the space $`V_L`$ on which they also act, and they are defined relative to $`𝔥_{}`$. We use a “normal ordering” procedure $`{}_{}{}^{}_{}^{}`$ to signify that the enclosed expression is to be reordered if necessary so that all the operators $`\alpha (n)`$ ($`\alpha 𝔥`$, $`n<0`$) and $`a\widehat{L}`$ are to be placed to the left of all the operators $`\alpha (n)`$ and $`z^\alpha `$ ($`\alpha 𝔥`$, $`n0`$) before the expression is evaluated. Using an obvious formal integration notation, we set

$$Y_{}^{(l)}(\iota (a),z)=Y_{}^{(l)}(a,z)=_{}^{}\mathrm{exp}\left[(\overline{a}^{}(z)\overline{a}^{}(0)z^1)\right]az_{}^{\overline{a}^{}}{}_{}{}^{},a\widehat{L}.$$
(4.2.8)
If $`vV_L`$ is of the form $`v=\alpha _1(n_1)\mathrm{}\alpha _j(n_j)\iota (a)`$, $`a\widehat{L}`$, $`\alpha _k𝔥`$, $`n_k𝐙_+`$, $`1kj`$, we define

$$Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)=_{}^{}\left[\frac{1}{(n_11)!}(\frac{d}{dz})^{n_11}\alpha _1^{}(z)\right]\mathrm{}\left[\frac{1}{(n_j1)!}(\frac{d}{dz})^{n_j1}\alpha _j^{}(z)\right]Y_{}^{(l)}(a,z)_{}^{},$$
(4.2.9)
and we extend this definition to $`V_L`$ by linearity. One gets a well-defined linear map

$`V_L`$ $`(\text{End}V_L)\{z\}`$ (4.2.10)
$`v`$ $`Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)={\displaystyle \underset{n𝐂}{}}v_nz^{n1},v_n\text{End}V_L,`$
where for any vector space $`W`$, $`W\{z\}`$ denotes the linear space of $`W`$-valued formal series in $`z`$. The case $`𝔥_{}=0`$ leads to the (ordinary) untwisted vertex operators as defined in \[FLM, Ch. 8\]. In this case, the operators $`Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)`$ are denoted just by $`Y^{(l)}(v,z)`$. We refer to \[DL1\] and \[DL2\] for a detailed discussion of the properties satisfied by the operators $`Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)`$. One has in particular

$$[\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{},Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)]=0\text{ for }vV_L,$$
(4.2.11)
where $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{}=[\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{},\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}]`$ is the Heisenberg algebra associated with the abelian Lie algebra $`𝔥_{}`$ (see (4.2.4)).

Notice that when applied to a single copy of $`Q`$ in the case $`𝔥_{}=0`$, the above construction yields a well-defined linear map

$`V_Q`$ $`(\text{End}V_Q)[[z,z^1]]`$
$`v`$ $`Y^{(1)}(v,z)={\displaystyle \underset{n𝐙}{}}v_nz^{n1},`$
the lattice $`Q`$ being even. Furthermore, using the notation

$$𝔰_i=Q_i_𝐙𝐂,\widehat{𝔰}_i=𝔰_i𝐂[t,t^1]𝐂c,\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_{i_\pm }^{}=𝔰_it^{\pm 1}𝐂[[t^{\pm 1}]],\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}1}il,$$
(4.2.12)
one gets from (4.1.2) that $`𝐂\{L\}_{i=1}^l𝐂\{Q_i\}`$ and $`S(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{i=1}^lS(\stackrel{~}{𝔰}_i_{}^{})`$ as vector spaces, and thus $`V_L_{i=1}^lV_{Q_i}`$ linearly (cf. (4.2.6)). For $`1jl`$ define a linear injection $`i_j`$ by

$`i_j:𝔤`$ $`V_L`$ (4.2.13)
$`h`$ $`h_j(1)\iota (1),h𝔰,`$
$`x_\alpha `$ $`\iota (e_{\alpha _j}),\alpha \mathrm{\Phi },`$
so that $`i(x)=_{j=1}^li_j(x)`$ for $`x𝔤`$ by (4.2.7). Then from \[DL1, Ch. 13\] and \[FLM, §7.2\] one gets:

###### Theorem 4.2.1.

The linear map $`\rho :\widehat{𝔤}\text{End}V_Q`$ given by

$$\rho (c)=1,\rho (x(z))=Y^{(1)}(i(x),z),x𝔤,$$
(4.2.14)
defines a level 1 $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module structure on $`V_Q`$ such that $`V_Q`$ is thereby isomorphic to the basic module $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$. Moreover, the linear map $`\pi :\widehat{𝔤}\text{End}V_L`$ determined by

$$\pi (c)=l,\pi (x(z))=Y^{(l)}(i(x),z),x𝔤,$$
(4.2.15)
defines a level $`l`$ $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module structure on $`V_L`$ such that the representation (4.2.15) is isomorphic to the tensor product of the representations

$$\pi _j:\widehat{𝔤}\text{End}V_{Q_j},\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}1}jl,$$
(4.2.16)
given by $`\pi _j(c)=1,\pi _j(x(z))=Y^{(1)}(i_j(x),z),x𝔤`$.

###### Remark 4.2.2.

(i) The representations (4.2.14)-(4.2.16) extend to $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$ by letting $`d`$ act as the degree operator (cf. (4.2.2) and (4.2.5) for $`𝔥_{}=0`$), in which case (4.2.14) is the well-known Frenkel-Kac-Segal construction of the affine Lie algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}`$.
(ii) Under the isomorphism in the second part of Theorem 4.2.1, the action of $`Y^{(l)}(i_j(x),z)`$ on $`V_L`$ coincides with the action of $`1\mathrm{}1Y^{(1)}(i_j(x),z)1\mathrm{}1`$, where the nontrivial factor is in the j-th position.

By \[DL1, Ch. 13\], $`V_L`$ is a completely reducible $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module and its $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-submodule $`U(\widehat{𝔤})\iota (1)`$ is isomorphic to the standard $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$, so that we may view $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$ as a subspace of $`V_L`$.

###### Corollary 4.2.3.

On the subspace $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$ of $`V_L`$ the map $`Y^{(l)}(,z)`$ of (4.2.15) coincides with the map $`Y(,z)`$ of Theorem 3.1.4 and Theorem 3.2.5.

###### Proof.

Let $`x𝔤`$, $`n𝐙`$, and denote by $`x(n)`$ the operator $`\pi (xt^n)`$ acting on $`V_L`$. Then the map $`i`$ can be rewritten as $`i(x)=x(1)\iota (1)`$, and by comparing the expression for $`x(z)`$ in (4.1.11) with the generic expansion $`Y^{(l)}(i(x),z)=_{n𝐙}x_nz^{n1}`$ (cf. (4.2.10)) we see that in fact $`x_n=x(n)`$. For $`x𝔤`$ one has therefore that $`Y^{(l)}(i(x),z)=Y(x(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)`$, where $`\mathrm{𝟏}=1\iota (1)`$ and $`Y`$ is the map defined in (3.1.4). Furthermore, from $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})U(\widehat{𝔤})\iota (1)`$ one gets that $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$ is generated by the set $`\{i(x)x𝔤\}\{\mathrm{𝟏}\}`$ through the map $`Y^{(l)}(,z)`$, which by construction satisfies the same iterate formula as the map $`Y(,z)`$ (cf. (3.1.2)). This proves the corollary. ∎

### 4.3. Relative twisted vertex operators

We now concentrate on the twisted counterpart of the above constructions. Let again $`𝔥_{}𝔥`$ be as in (4.1.13)-(4.1.15) and recall from (4.1.6)-(4.1.8) the central extension $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ of $`L`$ and the set-theoretic identification between the groups $`\widehat{L}`$ and $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$. Notice that $`1\sigma =\sigma ^1`$. It follows from \[L2, Proposition 6.1\] (see also \[Ca\]) that there exists a unique homomorphism $`\psi :\widehat{L}_\sigma 𝐂^\times `$ such that $`\psi (\eta )=\eta `$ and $`L`$ maps to the identity. Let $`T=𝐂_\psi `$ be the one-dimensional $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$-module affording $`\psi `$, and give $`T`$ the trivial $`𝐂`$-gradation. We let $`\widehat{\sigma }`$ act on $`T`$ as a grading-preserving linear automorphism (cf. (4.1.8)-(4.1.9)). By Remark 3.2.3, the $`\sigma `$-decomposition of $`𝔥`$ is given by $`𝔥=_{n𝐙/6𝐙}𝔥_{(n)}=𝔥_{(1)}𝔥_{(5)}`$. Let $`𝔥_{(n)}=𝔥_{(nmod6)}`$, $`n𝐙`$, and form the $`\sigma `$-twisted affine Lie algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]=\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]𝐂d`$ and its subalgebras

$$\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]=_{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙}𝔥_{(6n)}t^n𝐂c,\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]_\pm ^{}=_{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙,\pm n>0}𝔥_{(6n)}t^n,$$
(4.3.1)
so that $`\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]=\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]_+^{}\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]_{}^{}𝐂c`$. Then $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]^{}:=[\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ],\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]]`$ is a Heisenberg Lie algebra and $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]^{}=\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]`$. On $`\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]`$ we define the weight gradation associated with $`𝔥_{}`$ by $`\text{wt}(xt^m)=0`$, $`\text{wt}(yt^n)=n`$, $`\text{wt}(c)=0`$, $`m,n\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$, $`x𝔥_{}^{}{}_{(6m)}{}^{}`$, $`y𝔥_{}^{}{}_{(6n)}{}^{}`$ (cf. (4.2.5)). Form the induced irreducible $`\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]`$-module $`M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)=U\left(\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]\right)_{U(_{n0}𝔥_{(6n)}𝐂c)}𝐂S\left(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]_{}^{}\right)`$ (linearly), where $`_{n0}𝔥_{(6n)}`$ acts trivially on $`𝐂`$ and $`c`$ acts as 1. Then $`M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)`$ has a natural $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-grading which is compatible with the action of $`\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]`$ and such that $`\text{wt}(1)=0`$. Moreover, $`\sigma `$ acts in a grading-preserving way on $`\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]`$ (fixing $`c`$) and on $`M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)`$ (as an algebra isomorphism). Let $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ]_{}`$ and $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}^{}[\sigma ]_{}`$ be defined as in (4.3.1) and set

$$V_L^T=M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)_𝐂TS\left(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]_{}^{}\right)S\left(\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ]_{}\right)S\left(\widehat{𝔥}_{}^{}[\sigma ]_{}\right)\text{ (linearly)},$$
(4.3.2)
(cf. (4.1.13)). Using the gradations of $`M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)`$ and $`T`$, we see that $`V_L^T`$ is naturally $`𝐐`$-graded. Clearly, $`\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]`$ and $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ act on $`V_L^T`$ by acting either on $`M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)`$ or $`T`$, and $`\widehat{\sigma }`$ extends to a linear automorphism of $`V_L^T`$ such that $`\widehat{\sigma }(ut)=\sigma (u)\widehat{\sigma }(t)=t\sigma (u)1`$ for $`uM(\sigma ;1,𝔥)`$, $`tT`$.

For $`\alpha 𝔥`$ let $`\alpha _{(6n)}(n)`$ be the operator on $`M(\sigma ;1,𝔥)`$ corresponding to $`\alpha _{(6n)}t^n`$, $`n\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$. Set

$$\alpha (\sigma ;z)=\underset{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙}{}\alpha _{(6n)}(n)z^{n1}.$$
(4.3.3)
We shall also use the scalar function

$$\tau (\alpha )=2^{\alpha ,\alpha }(1\eta ^1)^{\sigma \alpha ,\alpha }(1\eta ^2)^{\sigma ^2\alpha ,\alpha }\text{ for }\alpha L,$$
(4.3.4)
which obviously satisfies $`\tau (\sigma \alpha )=\tau (\alpha )`$. Given $`a\widehat{L}`$, one defines the relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operator $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(\iota (a),z)`$ acting on $`V_L^T`$ as follows: for $`\alpha 𝔥`$ introduce first the operators

$$E_{(1)}^\pm (\alpha ,z)=\mathrm{exp}\left[\underset{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙,\pm n>0}{}\frac{\alpha _{(6n)}^{}(n)}{n}z^n\right]\left(\text{End}S\left(\widehat{𝔥}_{}^{}[\sigma ]_{}\right)\right)\left[\left[z^{\pm 1/6}\right]\right]$$
(4.3.5)
(which by (4.3.2) is a subspace of $`\left(\text{End}V_L^T\right)\{z\}`$), and then set

$`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(\iota (a),z)`$ $`=Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(a,z)=6^{\overline{a}^{},\overline{a}^{}/2}\tau (\overline{a}^{})_{}^{}\mathrm{exp}\left[{\displaystyle }\overline{a}^{}(\sigma ;z)\right]az_{}^{\overline{a}^{},\overline{a}^{}/2}^{}`$ (4.3.6)
$`=6^{\overline{a}^{},\overline{a}^{}/2}\tau (\overline{a}^{})E_{(1)}^{}(\overline{a},z)E_{(1)}^+(\overline{a},z)az^{\overline{a}^{},\overline{a}^{}/2},`$
where $`a`$ is viewed as an element of $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ by means of the set-theoretic identification between $`\widehat{L}`$ and $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$. For $`\alpha _i𝔥`$, $`n_i𝐙_+`$, $`1ij`$, and $`v=\alpha _1(n_1)\mathrm{}\alpha _j(n_j)\iota (a)V_L`$, set

$$W_{}(v,z)=_{}^{}\left[\frac{1}{(n_11)!}(\frac{d}{dz})^{n_11}\alpha _1^{}(\sigma ;z)\right]\mathrm{}\left[\frac{1}{(n_j1)!}(\frac{d}{dz})^{n_j1}\alpha _j^{}(\sigma ;z)\right]Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(a,z)_{}^{}$$
(4.3.7)
(the right-hand side being an operator on $`V_L^T`$), and then extend this definition to all $`vV_L`$ by linearity. Let $`\{\gamma _1,\mathrm{},\gamma _d\}`$ be an orthonormal basis of $`𝔥_{}^{}`$ and define the constants $`c_{_{mni}}𝐂`$, $`m,n𝐍`$, $`i\{0,1,\mathrm{},5\}`$, as in \[DL2, (4.41)\]. In particular, $`c_{_{00i}}=0`$ for all $`i`$. The following operator is independent of the choice of orthonormal basis in $`𝔥_{}^{}`$ (cf. \[DL2, (4.42)\], \[FLM, §9.2\]):

$$\mathrm{\Delta }_z=\underset{m,n0}{}\underset{i=0}{\overset{5}{}}\underset{j=1}{\overset{d}{}}c_{_{mni}}(\sigma ^i\gamma _j)(m)\gamma _j(n)z^{mn}(\text{End}V_L)[[z^1]].$$
(4.3.8)
Since $`c_{_{00i}}=0`$ for all $`i`$, $`\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)`$ is well defined on $`V_L`$ and $`\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)vV_L[z^1]`$ for $`vV_L`$. The relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operator $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$ is then defined by

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)=W_{}(\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)v,z)\text{ for }vV_L.$$
(4.3.9)
Summarizing, we get a well-defined linear map (the relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operator map)

$`V_L`$ $`\left(\text{End}V_L^T\right)\{z\}`$ (4.3.10)
$`v`$ $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)={\displaystyle \underset{n𝐂}{}}v_nz^{n1},v_n\text{End}V_L^T,`$
which satisfies $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)\left(\text{End}V_L^T\right)\left[[z^{1/6},z^{1/6}]\right]`$ if $`𝔥_{}=0`$. We refer to \[DL2\] for a discussion of the properties of these operators. Of particular importance for our purposes is the fact that

$$[\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ],Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)]=0\text{ for }vV_L$$
(4.3.11)
(cf. \[DL2, Proposition 4.6\]), where $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ]`$ is defined as in (4.3.1)-(4.3.2).

By using a single copy of $`Q`$ and the space $`𝔥_{}=0`$ we get a well-defined linear map

$`V_Q`$ $`\left(\text{End}V_Q^T\right)\left[[z^{1/6},z^{1/6}]\right]`$
$`v`$ $`Y^{\sigma ,(1)}(v,z)={\displaystyle \underset{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙}{}}v_nz^{n1}.`$
Let $`\widehat{𝔰}_i[\sigma ]=_{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙}𝔰_{i_{(6n)}}t^n𝐂c`$ and $`\widehat{𝔰}_i[\sigma ]_\pm =_{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙,\pm n>0}𝔰_{i_{(6n)}}t^n`$, $`1il`$. Since $`S\left(\widehat{𝔥}[\sigma ]_{}\right)=S\left(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}[\sigma ]_{}^{}\right)=_{i=1}^lS\left(\widehat{𝔰}_i[\sigma ]_{}\right)`$, (4.3.2) implies that

$$V_L^T_{i=1}^lV_{Q_i}^T\text{ (linearly)}.$$
(4.3.12)
Then from \[L2, §9\] and \[LW, §8-9\] (see also \[FLM, §7.4\], \[Fig\]) one gets the following

###### Theorem 4.3.1.

The linear map $`\rho ^\sigma :\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\text{End}V_Q^T`$ given by

$$\rho ^\sigma (c)=1,\rho ^\sigma (x(\sigma ;z))=Y^{\sigma ,(1)}(i(x),z),x𝔤,$$
(4.3.13)
defines a level 1 $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module structure on $`V_Q^T`$ such that $`V_Q^TL(\mathrm{\Lambda }_1;\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ])`$. Moreover, the linear map $`\pi ^\sigma :\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\text{End}V_L^T`$ determined by

$$\pi ^\sigma (c)=l,\pi ^\sigma (x(\sigma ;z))=Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(i(x),z),x𝔤,$$
(4.3.14)
defines a level $`l`$ $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module structure on $`V_L^T`$, and this representation is isomorphic to the tensor product of the representations

$$\pi _j^\sigma :\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\text{End}V_{Q_j}^T,1jl,$$
(4.3.15)
given by $`\pi _j^\sigma (c)=1,\pi _j^\sigma (x(\sigma ;z))=Y^{\sigma ,(1)}(i_j(x),z),x𝔤`$.

###### Remark 4.3.2.

Under the isomorphism in the second part of Theorem 4.3.1 the action of the operator $`Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(i_j(x),z)`$ on $`V_L^T`$ coincides with the action of $`1\mathrm{}1Y^{\sigma ,(1)}(i_j(x),z)\mathrm{}1`$. Moreover, the representations (4.3.13)-(4.3.15) extend to $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$ by letting $`d`$ act as the degree operator.

###### Corollary 4.3.3.

On the subspace $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$ of $`V_L`$ the map $`Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$ of (4.3.14) coincides with the map $`Y^\sigma (,z)`$ of Theorem 3.1.5 and Theorem 3.2.5.

###### Proof.

By \[DL2, Theorem 7.1\], $`(V_L,Y^{(l)},\mathrm{𝟏},\omega )`$ is a VOA and $`(V_L^T,Y^{\sigma ,(l)})`$ is a $`\sigma `$-twisted $`V_L`$-module (see \[DL1\] and \[DL2\] for the construction of the Virasoro element $`\omega V_L`$). In particular, the map $`Y^{\sigma ,(l)}`$ satisfies the twisted associator formula (3.1.2) with $`Y_M=Y^{\sigma ,(l)}`$ and $`Y=Y^{(l)}`$. Let $`M`$ be any standard level $`l`$ $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module. According to §2.1, (4.3.12), and Theorem 4.3.1, $`M`$ can be isomorphically embedded into $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda }_1;\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ])^lV_L^T`$. Denoting by $`x_{(6n)}(n)`$ the operator $`\pi ^\sigma (x_{(6n)}t^n)`$ on $`V_L^T`$, $`x𝔤`$, $`n\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$, and comparing the expression for $`x(\sigma ;z)`$ from (4.1.11) with the generic expansion $`Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(i(x),z)=_{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙}x_nz^{n1}`$ (cf. (4.3.10)), we see that $`x_n=x_{(6n)}(n)`$. For $`x𝔤`$ one has therefore that $`Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(i(x),z)=Y^\sigma (x(1)\mathrm{𝟏},z)`$ when acting on $`M`$, where (as before) $`\mathrm{𝟏}=1\iota (1)L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$ and $`Y^\sigma (,z)`$ is the map defined in (3.1.5). Then the corollary follows from the twisted iterate formula (3.1.2) and Corollary 4.2.3. ∎

### 4.4. The GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}^A`$ and its action on the vacuum spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,2k+1}`$

Set now

$$\begin{array}{cc}\hfill \mathrm{\Omega }_{}& =\{vV_Lh(n)v=0\text{ for }h𝔥_{},n>0\}V_L,\hfill \\ \hfill \mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\sigma & =\{vV_L^Th(n)v=0\text{ for }h𝔥_{},n\frac{1}{6}𝐙_+\}V_L^T.\hfill \end{array}$$
(4.4.1)
Clearly, $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{}`$ is the vacuum space for the action of the Heisenberg algebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{}`$ on $`V_L`$, while $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\sigma `$ is the vacuum space for the action of the Heisenberg algebra $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ]`$ on $`V_L^T`$. By (4.2.11) and (4.3.11), these spaces are preserved by the operators $`Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)`$, $`vV_L`$, and $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$, $`vV_L`$, respectively. Since $`S\left(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{}\right)=S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{})_{}^{}\right)S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right)`$, one gets from (4.2.6) that

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{}=S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right)𝐂\{L\},$$
(4.4.2)
and thus $`V_L`$ may be decomposed as

$$V_L=\mathrm{\Omega }_{}V_{},V_{}=𝐂\text{-span}\{h(n)V_Lh𝔥_{},n<0\}=(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{})_{}^{}S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{})_{}^{}\right)\mathrm{\Omega }_{}.$$
(4.4.3)
Note that by construction the operators $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}`$ satisfy

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)=0\text{ if }vV_{}.$$
(4.4.4)
In similar fashion, (4.3.2) yields $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\sigma =S(\widehat{𝔥}_{}^{}[\sigma ]_{})T`$.

Recall (4.1.2) and (4.1.12) and consider the diagonal embedding

$`{}_{}{}^{}:𝔰`$ $`𝔥`$ (4.4.5)
$`\alpha `$ $`\alpha _{}=\alpha _1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _l,`$
where $`\alpha _iQ_i_𝐙𝐂`$ corresponds to $`\alpha 𝔰`$. Obviously, the map  defines a group isomorphism between $`Q`$ and $`Q_{}`$. We assume henceforth that the subspace $`𝔥_{}`$ of $`𝔥`$ (see (4.1.13)) is

$$𝔥_{}=\{\alpha _{}\alpha 𝔰\}=𝔰_{}.$$
(4.4.6)
Then $`𝔥_{}^{}=𝐂\text{-span}\{\alpha _i\alpha _j\alpha 𝔰,i,j=1,\mathrm{}l\}`$ (cf. (4.1.13)). Define

$$A=\{e_\alpha _{}\alpha 2Q\}\widehat{L}.$$
(4.4.7)
By the choice of the cocycle $`ϵ_0`$ and of the section $`e`$ (cf. (4.1.4)-(4.1.5) and (4.1.10)), $`A`$ is a central subgroup of $`\widehat{L}`$ isomorphic to the subgroup $`2Q_{}`$ of $`Q_{}`$ and such that $`A\eta =1`$ ($`=e_0`$). Moreover, $`L,\overline{A}2𝐙`$, $`𝔥_{}L`$ $`𝐂`$-spans $`𝔥_{}`$, and $`\text{rank}A=\text{rank}𝔤=dim𝔰=2`$, so that $`\overline{A}`$ $`𝐂`$-spans $`𝔥_{}`$. Recall the projections (4.1.15) and notice that

$$\alpha _i^{\prime \prime }=l^1\alpha _{}\text{ for }\alpha \mathrm{\Phi },i=1,\mathrm{},l,$$
(4.4.8)
so that

$$L^{\prime \prime }=\{\beta ^{\prime \prime }\beta L\}=l^1Q_{}.$$
(4.4.9)
Let $`G=L^{\prime \prime }/\overline{A}=l^1Q_{}/2Q_{}l^1Q/2Q`$ and notice that the smallest positive integer $`S`$ such that $`\alpha ^{},\beta ^{}S^1𝐙`$, $`\alpha ,\beta S^1𝐙`$, and $`\alpha ^{},\alpha ^{}2S^1𝐙`$ for $`\alpha `$, $`\beta L`$ is precisely

$$S=l.$$
(4.4.10)
A well-defined symmetric nondegenerate $`l^1𝐙/2𝐙`$-valued $`𝐙`$-bilinear form on $`G`$ is then given by

$`G\times G`$ $`l^1𝐙/2𝐙`$
$`(l^1\alpha _{}+\overline{A},l^1\beta _{}+\overline{A})`$ $`l^1\alpha ,\beta +2𝐙\text{ for }\alpha ,\beta Q.`$
In the remainder of this section we shall denote the standard $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module $`L(l\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;\widehat{𝔤})`$ simply by $`L(l,0)`$. Recall that $`L(l,0)U(\widehat{𝔤})\iota (1)V_L`$ (cf. Corollary 4.2.3). The action of $`\widehat{𝔤}`$ on $`V_L`$ being given by Theorem 4.2.1, one gets from \[DL1, Proposition 14.5\] and the complete reducibility of $`V_L`$ as a $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-module that any $`\widehat{𝔤}`$-submodule $`M`$ of $`V_L`$ is $`A`$-stable and has an $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}`$-stable complement in $`V_L`$. In particular, this holds for $`M=L(l,0)`$. Define the following spaces:

$`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}=\mathrm{\Omega }_{}L(l,0),`$ (4.4.11)
$`W_{L(l,0)}=𝐂\text{-span}\{vavvL(l,0),aA\}L(l,0),`$ (4.4.12)
$`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A=\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}/\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{}W_{L(l,0)}\right)=\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}+W_{L(l,0)}\right)/W_{L(l,0)}.`$ (4.4.13)
Note that by (3.2.22), (4.4.1), and (4.4.11), one has in fact that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}=\mathrm{\Omega }_{2k+1}`$. Since $`L(l,0)`$ has an $`A`$-stable and $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}`$-stable complement in $`V_L`$, it follows that $`\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{}`$ acts naturally on $`L(l,0)/W_{L(l,0)}`$, so that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ may be described alternatively as

$`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ $`=\{vL(l,0)/W_{L(l,0)}h(n)v=0\text{ for }h𝔥_{},n>0\}`$
$`=\{vL(l,0)/W_{L(l,0)}h(n)v=0\text{ for }h𝔰,n>0\}\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^A,`$
where for $`h𝔰`$, $`h(n)`$ denotes the operator $`\pi (ht^n)=h_{}(n)`$ of (4.2.15) and

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^A=\{vV_L/W_{V_L}h(n)v=0\text{ for }h𝔥_{},n>0\},$$

with $`W_{V_L}=𝐂\text{-span}\{vavvV_L,aA\}V_L`$. One may then define a $`G`$-gradation on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ in the following way: note first that by (4.4.2) and (4.4.8)-(4.4.9) $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{}`$ decomposes as

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{}=\underset{\lambda l^1Q}{}\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\lambda _{},\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\lambda _{}=\{v\mathrm{\Omega }_{}h(0)v=h_{},\lambda _{}v,h𝔰\}=\underset{a\widehat{L},\overline{a}^{\prime \prime }=\lambda _{}}{}S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right)\iota (a).$$
(4.4.14)
Since $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}`$ is stable under the operators $`h(0)`$, $`h𝔰`$, we see that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}=_{\lambda l^1Q}\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^\lambda _{}`$, where $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^\lambda _{}=\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\lambda _{}=L(l,0)\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\lambda _{}`$. It then follows from (4.4.13) that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ is $`G`$-graded, with

$$\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A\right)^g=\underset{\lambda l^1Q,\lambda _{}+2Q_{}=g}{}\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^\lambda _{}+W_{L(l,0)}\right)/W_{L(l,0)}\text{ for }gG.$$

Note that by (4.4.7) and (4.4.11)-(4.4.12) one has that if $`\lambda ,\mu l^1Q`$ are such that $`\lambda _{}\mu _{}2Q_{}`$ then $`\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^\lambda _{}+W_{L(l,0)}\right)/W_{L(l,0)}=\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^\mu _{}+W_{L(l,0)}\right)/W_{L(l,0)}`$, so that in particular

$$\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A\right)^0=\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0+W_{L(l,0)}\right)/W_{L(l,0)}.$$
(4.4.15)
Recall now the space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$ from (3.2.23) (with $`l=2k+1`$) and the element $`\omega _2=\omega ^{}\omega _1\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$ (cf. (3.2.20)-(3.2.21) and (3.2.24)). Then clearly

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0=\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0.$$
(4.4.16)
Moreover, by using the actions of Theorem 4.2.1, one can rewrite $`\omega ^{}`$, $`\omega _1`$, and $`\omega _2`$ respectively as

$$\omega ^{}=\frac{1}{2(l+3)}\underset{i=1}{\overset{8}{}}a_i(1)a_{\pi (i)}(1)\iota (1),\omega _1=\frac{1}{2}\underset{i=1}{\overset{2}{}}\gamma ^i(1)\gamma ^{\pi (i)}(1)\iota (1),\omega _2=\omega ^{}\omega _1,$$
(4.4.17)
where $`\gamma ^i=\left(\frac{a_i}{\sqrt{l}}\right)_{}𝔥_{}`$ for $`i=1,2`$ (so that $`\{\gamma ^1,\gamma ^2\}`$ and $`\{\gamma ^2,\gamma ^1\}`$ are dual bases of $`𝔥_{}`$) and $`\mathrm{𝟏}`$ is identified with $`1\iota (1)`$. Then $`\omega _2`$ becomes exactly the element $`\omega _{𝒢_l,_l}`$ of \[DL1, (14.53)\].

We shall need the following

###### Lemma 4.4.1.

With the above notations, one has $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0W_{L(l,0)}=\{0\}`$.

###### Proof.

Recall the group $`A`$ defined in (4.4.7) and the action of $`\widehat{L}`$ on $`𝐂\{L\}`$ given by (4.2.1), and let $`U=\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0W_{L(l,0)}`$ and $`vU`$. Since $`U\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}W_{L(l,0)}`$, it follows from (4.4.2), (4.4.11), and (4.4.12) that there exist positive integers $`n`$, $`m_i`$ ($`1in`$), such that

$$v=\underset{i=1}{\overset{n}{}}\underset{j=1}{\overset{m_i}{}}\left[u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij})a_i(u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij}))\right],$$
(4.4.18)
where $`u_{ij}S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right)`$, $`b_{ij}\widehat{L}`$, and $`a_iA`$. Recall also the linear maps of (4.2.7), (4.2.13), and (4.4.5) and notice that for $`h𝔰`$, $`n𝐙`$, the operator $`h(n)`$ acts on $`v`$ as the “unrelativized” operator $`\pi (ht^n)=h_{}(n)`$ of (4.2.15). Since $`a_i(u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij}))=u_{ij}\iota (a_ib_{ij})`$, one gets in particular

$$\begin{array}{cc}& h(0)(u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij}))=h_{},\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij}),\hfill \\ & h(0)\left[a_i(u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij}))\right]=h_{},\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }+\overline{a}_i^{\prime \prime }a_i(u_{ij}\iota (b_{ij}))\hfill \end{array}$$
(4.4.19)
for $`h𝔰`$, $`1in`$, $`1jm_i`$. In terms of the gradation (4.4.14), (4.4.19) means that the corresponding vectors have degrees $`\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }`$ and $`\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }+\alpha _{}^i`$ respectively, where $`\alpha ^i2Q`$ are such that $`a_i=e_{\alpha _{}^i}`$, $`1in`$. Denote by $`\lambda _1,\mathrm{},\lambda _m\frac{1}{l}Q_{}`$ the distinct degrees occurring among the vectors in the right-hand side of (4.4.18). Then one may rewrite (4.4.18) as

$$v=v_1+\mathrm{}+v_m$$
(4.4.20)
with $`v_i\mathrm{\Omega }_{}`$ of degree $`\lambda _i`$. If $`m=1`$ one gets that $`\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }=\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }+\alpha _{}^i=\lambda _1`$ for all $`i`$ and $`j`$, hence $`\alpha _{}^i=0`$ and $`a_i=e_0=1`$, $`1in`$, by the choice of the section $`e`$ (cf. (4.1.10)). Then (4.4.18) implies that $`v=0`$ in this case. Assume now that $`m2`$ and choose $`h𝔰`$ such that the scalars $`h_{},\lambda _i`$ are distinct (such $`h`$ exists since the $`\lambda _i`$’s are distinct linear forms on $`𝔥_{}`$). Then using (4.4.20) and the fact that $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0`$ one obtains $`v_1+\mathrm{}+v_m=v`$ and $`_{k=1}^mh_{},\lambda _k^jv_k=h(0)^jv=0`$ for $`1jm1`$. This is by construction a system of $`m\times m`$ linear equations with nonsingular matrix, so that $`v_k𝐂vU`$ for $`1km`$. In particular $`v_i\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0`$ and thus $`\lambda _i=0`$ for all $`i`$. Therefore, $`\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }=\overline{b}_{ij}^{\prime \prime }+\alpha _{}^i=0`$ for $`1in`$, $`1jm_i`$, so that $`\alpha _{}^i=0`$, $`1in`$, and consequently $`a_i=e_{\alpha _{}^i}=1`$, $`1in`$. Then (4.4.18) again implies that $`v=0`$, which completes the proof. ∎

Lemma 4.4.1 and (4.4.15)-(4.4.16) yield a linear isomorphism

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0\stackrel{}{}\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^0+W_{L(l,0)}\right)/W_{L(l,0)}=\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A\right)^0$$
(4.4.21)
by means of which we identify $`\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$ and $`\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A\right)^0`$. It follows from (4.2.9) that $`Y_{}^{(l)}(av,z)=aY_{}^{(l)}(v,z)`$ for $`vV_L`$, $`aA`$. (This is true even for $`a\widehat{L}`$ such that $`\overline{a}L𝔥_{}`$.) Therefore, the vertex map $`Y_{}^{(l)}`$ of (4.2.10) induces a well-defined linear map

$`\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)}(,z):\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ $`\left(\text{End}\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A\right)\left[[z^{1/l},z^{1/l}]\right]`$ (4.4.22)
$`v+W_{L(l,0)}`$ $`\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)}(v+W_{L(l,0)},z)=Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)={\displaystyle \underset{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{l}}𝐙}{}}\left(v+W_{L(l,0)}\right)_nz^{n1},`$
which is called the quotient relative untwisted vertex operator map defined with respect to the group $`A`$ (cf. \[DL1, Ch. 4 & 14\]).

###### Lemma 4.4.2.

For $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$ one has $`\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)}(v,z)=Y^{(l)}(v,z)=Y(v,z)`$ as (series of) operators acting on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$.

###### Proof.

Let $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$. By (4.4.14) one may write $`v=_{i=1}^kv_i\iota (a_i)`$ for some $`k𝐙_+`$, $`0v_iS\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right)`$, and $`a_i\widehat{L}`$, $`1ik`$, such that the $`\iota (a_i)`$’s are linearly independent. Then the relations $`0=h(0)v=_{i=1}^kh_{},\overline{a}_iv_i\iota (a_i)`$, $`h𝔰`$, imply that $`h_{},\overline{a}_i=0`$, $`h𝔰,\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}1}ik`$. This means that $`\overline{a}_i^{\prime \prime }=0`$, or equivalently $`\overline{a}_i^{}=\overline{a}_i`$, $`1ik`$. It then follows from (4.2.8) and (4.2.9) that $`Y_{}^{(l)}(v,z)=Y^{(l)}(v,z)`$, which combined with (4.4.21), (4.4.22), and Corollary 4.2.3 proves the lemma. ∎

Recall that $`l=2k+1`$ and that $`\text{rank}\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0=c_2(k)`$. By using the results of \[DL1, Ch. 14\] together with Theorem 4.2.1, Corollary 4.2.3, (4.4.21), and Lemma 4.4.2 we get:

###### Theorem 4.4.3.

Let $`\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)}(\omega _2+W_{L(l,0)},z)=_{n𝐙}\overline{L}_{}(n)z^{n2}`$. Then the structure

$$(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A,\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)},\iota (1)+W_{L(l,0)},\omega _2+W_{L(l,0)},l,G,(,))$$

is a simple GVOA of rank $`c_2(k)`$ generated by the set $`\{i(x_\alpha )+W_{L(l,0)}\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }\}`$ that consists of $`\overline{L}_{}(0)`$-eigenvectors with eigenvalue $`1l^1`$. Moreover, by restricting the map $`\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)}`$ to the subspace $`\left(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A\right)^0\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$, the structure $`(\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0,\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)},\iota (1)+W_{L(l,0)},\omega _2+W_{L(l,0)})`$ becomes a simple VOA of rank $`c_2(k)`$ such that $`\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)}(v,z)=Y(v,z)`$ for every $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$. $`\mathrm{}`$

Note that by (4.4.12), one can actually rewrite $`\iota (1)+W_{L(l,0)}`$ and $`\omega _2+W_{L(l,0)}`$ as $`\iota (A)`$ and $`\omega _2\iota (A)`$ respectively, where $`\omega _2`$ is identified with $`\omega _2\iota (1)`$.

We now focus on the operators $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$ introduced in §4.3. We show first:

###### Lemma 4.4.4.

Let $`aA`$ and $`vV_L`$. Then $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(av,z)=Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$ as (series of) operators acting on $`V_L^T`$.

###### Proof.

Since $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$ is linear, it suffices to prove the lemma for $`vV_L`$ of the form $`v=v^{}\iota (b)`$, where $`v^{}S\left(\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{}\right)`$ and $`b\widehat{L}`$. Recall (4.1.4) and (4.1.10). It follows from \[DL2, Proposition 4.6\] that if $`aA`$ (or more generally, if $`a\widehat{L}`$ is such that $`\overline{a}L𝔥_{}`$) and $`vV_L`$, then $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(av,z)=ϵ(\overline{a},\overline{b})aY_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$, where in the right-hand side $`a`$ is understood to act on $`T`$ via the set-theoretic identification between $`\widehat{L}`$ and $`\widehat{L}_\sigma `$ given by (4.1.8) (see also (4.3.6)). Thus $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(av,z)=aY_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$ by (4.4.7) and (4.1.4), and it is therefore enough to show that $`a`$ acts as 1 on $`T`$ in order to complete the proof. Using (4.4.7) and the fact that $`ϵ(2\alpha ,\beta )=1`$ for $`\alpha `$, $`\beta L`$, we see that the set-theoretic identification (4.1.8) restricts to an actual group isomorphism on $`A`$, so that $`T`$ becomes an $`A`$-module. But $`\widehat{L}_\sigma =\eta \times L`$ and $`L`$ acts as 1 on $`T`$, hence $`(1,\alpha )`$ acts as 1 on $`T`$ for every $`\alpha L`$. In particular, $`T`$ must be a trivial $`A`$-module, as needed. ∎

It follows from Lemma 4.4.4, (4.4.10), and the definition of relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operators in §4.3 that $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$ induces a well-defined quotient linear map

$`\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z):\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ $`\left(\text{End}V_L^T\right)\left[[z^{1/6l},z^{1/6l}]\right]`$ (4.4.23)
$`v+W_{L(l,0)}`$ $`\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v+W_{L(l,0)},z)=Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z),`$
where $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$ denotes the restriction to $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}`$ of the map $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$ of (4.3.10). We may therefore define the following subalgebra of $`\text{End}V_L^T`$:

$`\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$ $`=𝐂\text{-span}\{\text{Res}_zz^n\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v+W_{L(l,0)},z)v\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A,n\frac{1}{6l}𝐙\}`$ (4.4.24)
$`=𝐂\text{-span}\{\text{Res}_zz^nY_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)v\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)},n\frac{1}{6l}𝐙\}.`$
Let now $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda };\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ])`$ be any level $`l`$ standard $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module. Then $`\mathrm{\Lambda }=k_0\mathrm{\Lambda }_0+(l2k_0)\mathrm{\Lambda }_1`$ for some $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$ by (2.2.4), so that $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda };\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ])=L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)`$ in the notation of §2.1. According to the proof of Corollary 4.3.3, $`L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)`$ can be isomorphically embedded into $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda }_1;\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ])^lV_L^T`$. Furthermore, Remark 3.2.3 and (4.4.6) imply that the principal Heisenberg subalgebra $`\stackrel{~}{𝔰}[\sigma ]^{}`$ ($`=\widehat{𝔰}[\sigma ]`$) of $`\stackrel{~}{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$ may be identified with $`\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ]`$ ($`\widehat{𝔰}_{}[\sigma ]`$). Consequently, (2.2.10) may be rewritten as

$$L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)=S\left(\widehat{𝔥}_{}[\sigma ]_{}\right)\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l},$$
(4.4.25)
where $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}𝒪_2(k)`$ is the corresponding vacuum space (see (2.2.10) and (2.2.12)). Note also that (4.3.14) and (4.4.1) actually imply that

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}=L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\sigma .$$
(4.4.26)
For $`\varphi 𝔥`$ let us define the following operators:

$$E_{(l)}^\pm (\varphi ,z)=\mathrm{exp}\left[\underset{n{\scriptscriptstyle \frac{1}{6}}𝐙,\pm n>0}{}\frac{\varphi _{(6n)}t^n}{ln}z^n\right]=E_{(1)}^\pm (\varphi /l,z),$$
(4.4.27)
where $`E_{(1)}^\pm (,z)`$ is the unrelativized version of the operator $`E_{(1)}^\pm (,z)`$ defined in (4.3.5).

###### Lemma 4.4.5.

The component operators of $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$, $`vL(l,0)`$, preserve each of the standard $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-modules $`L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$.

###### Proof.

Let $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$ and set $`M=L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)`$. By (4.4.3)-(4.4.4) and (4.4.11) it suffices to show that $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$ preserves $`M`$ for any $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}`$. Recall from Theorem 4.4.3 that

$$\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}=𝐂\text{-span}\{v_{n_1}^{(1)}\mathrm{}v_{n_j}^{(j)}\iota (1)v^{(i)}\{i(x_\alpha )\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }\}\{\iota (1)\},n_i\frac{1}{l}𝐙,i=1,\mathrm{},j\},$$

where $`v_{n_i}^{(i)}`$ is understood as a component operator of $`Y_{}^{(l)}(v^{(i)},z)`$. Thus it is enough to prove that $`M`$ is invariant under $`Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$ for $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}`$ of the form

$$v=v_{n_1}^{(1)}\mathrm{}v_{n_j}^{(j)}\iota (1),\text{ with }v^{(i)}\{i(x_\alpha )\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }\},n_i\frac{1}{l}𝐙,i=1,\mathrm{},j.$$
(4.4.28)
Let therefore $`\alpha ^m\mathrm{\Phi }`$ be such that $`v^{(m)}=i(x_{_{\alpha ^m}})`$, $`m=1,\mathrm{},j`$, and set $`\alpha =_{m=1}^j\alpha ^mQ`$. It follows from (4.2.1) and (4.2.8)-(4.2.9) (see also (4.4.2)) that one may write $`v`$ as

$$v=\underset{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j=1}{\overset{l}{}}u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},$$
(4.4.29)
where for any $`r_1,\mathrm{},r_j\{1,2,\mathrm{},l\}`$ one has

$$u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}=v_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}\iota (e_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}),\text{ with }v_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right),e_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}=e_{\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{r_j}^j},$$

and $`\alpha _{r_m}^m`$ denotes the $`r_m`$-th copy of $`\alpha ^m\mathrm{\Phi }`$ in $`L`$. Then (4.4.29) and (4.3.8) imply that

$$\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}=\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},$$

which combined with (4.3.9) and (4.3.7) gives

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z)=W_{}(\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z)=W_{}(\mathrm{exp}(\mathrm{\Delta }_z)u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z).$$
(4.4.30)
Note next that for any $`r_1,\mathrm{},r_j\{1,2,\mathrm{},l\}`$ and $`p\{0,1,\mathrm{},5\}`$ one has by (4.4.8) that

$$\sigma ^p(\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{r_j}^j)^{}=\sigma ^p(\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{r_j}^j)l^1\sigma ^p(\alpha _{}),$$

and thus

$$\begin{array}{cc}\hfill \sigma ^p(\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+& \alpha _{r_j}^j)^{},(\alpha _{s_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{s_j}^j)^{}\hfill \\ & =\sigma ^p(\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{r_j}^j),(\alpha _{s_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{s_j}^j)l^1\sigma ^p(\alpha ),\alpha \hfill \end{array}$$
(4.4.31)
for all $`r_1,\mathrm{},r_j,s_1,\mathrm{},s_j\{1,2,\mathrm{},l\}`$ and $`p\{0,1,\mathrm{},5\}`$. Recall (4.3.4) and let

$$C_1(\alpha )=\tau \left(\frac{\alpha _{}}{l}\right)^1,C_2(\alpha )=\frac{\alpha ,\alpha }{2l},C_3(\alpha )=6^{C_2(\alpha )}C_1(\alpha ).$$

It is then clear from (4.3.4) and (4.4.31) that for any $`r_1,\mathrm{},r_j\{1,2,\mathrm{},l\},`$

$$\tau \left((\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{r_j}^j)^{}\right)=C_1(\alpha )\tau \left(\alpha _{r_1}^1+\mathrm{}+\alpha _{r_j}^j\right).$$
(4.4.32)
Recall now (4.3.3) and notice that by (4.4.27) one has that $`[E_{(l)}^\pm (\alpha _{},z),\beta ^{}(\sigma ;z)]=0`$ for any $`\beta 𝔥`$. It then follows from (4.3.4)-(4.3.6) and (4.4.31)-(4.4.32) that for any $`r_1,\mathrm{},r_j\{1,2,\mathrm{},l\}`$,

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(\iota (e_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}),z)=C_3(\alpha )z^{C_2(\alpha )}E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha _{},z)Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(\iota (e_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}),z)E_{(l)}^+(\alpha _{},z).$$
(4.4.33)
Furthermore, since $`v_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j}S\left((\stackrel{~}{𝔥}_{}^{})_{}^{}\right)`$ we get from (4.4.33) and (4.3.7) that

$$W_{}(u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z)=C_3(\alpha )z^{C_2(\alpha )}E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha _{},z)W(u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z)E_{(l)}^+(\alpha _{},z),$$

where $`W(,z)`$ stands for the unrelativized version of the operator $`W_{}(,z)`$ defined in (4.3.7). Then (4.4.30) yields

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z)=C_3(\alpha )z^{C_2(\alpha )}E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha _{},z)Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(u_{r_1,\mathrm{},r_j},z)E_{(l)}^+(\alpha _{},z).$$
(4.4.34)
From (4.4.29) and (4.4.34) we finally get

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)=C_3(\alpha )z^{C_2(\alpha )}E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha _{},z)Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)E_{(l)}^+(\alpha _{},z).$$
(4.4.35)
The lemma now follows from (4.4.35), Theorem 4.3.1, and Corollary 4.3.3. ∎

Let $`\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }`$ and consider the operator on $`V_L^T`$ determined by

$$Z(\alpha ,z)=E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha ,z)x_\alpha (\sigma ;z)zE_{(l)}^+(\alpha ,z)\overline{U\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)}\left[[z^{1/6},z^{1/6}]\right],$$
(4.4.36)
where $`E_{(l)}^\pm (,z)`$ are defined as in (4.4.27) and $`\overline{U\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)}`$ is a certain completion of $`U\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)`$ (see \[MP1\]). Recall the subalgebra $`\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$ of $`\text{End}V_L^T`$ from (4.4.24) and notice that $`Z(\alpha ,z)`$ becomes exactly the $`Z`$-operator $`Z(\alpha ,\zeta )`$ defined in \[LW, (3.18)\] if one substitutes $`z`$ by $`\zeta ^6`$ in (4.4.36). Then we can prove the following:

###### Proposition 4.4.6.

$`\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$ acts irreducibly on each of the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$.

###### Proof.

Let $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$. Note first that (4.3.11) and (4.4.23) imply in particular that the component operators of $`\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)`$, $`v\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$, preserve the vacuum space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\sigma `$ defined in (4.4.1). By Lemma 4.4.5 and (4.4.23), these operators also preserve the $`\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]`$-module $`L_{k_0,l}\left(\widehat{𝔤}[\sigma ]\right)`$, and then it follows from (4.4.26) that $`\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$ preserves $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$.

In order to prove that the action of $`\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$ on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$ is irreducible, we note that the operators $`\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(i(x_\alpha ),z)`$, $`\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }`$, are in fact closely related to the operators $`Z(\alpha ,z)`$ defined in (4.4.36). Indeed, a simplified version of the computations in Lemma 4.4.5 (in this case just a straightforward consequence of (4.3.4)-(4.3.6), (4.4.8), Theorem 4.3.1, Remark 4.3.2, and the fact that $`\tau (\alpha _i)\tau (\alpha _i^{})^1=\tau \left(\frac{\alpha _{}}{l}\right)`$ for $`i=1,\mathrm{},l`$) yields

$`\pi ^\sigma Z(\alpha ,z)`$ $`=E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha _{},z)Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(i(x_\alpha ),z)zE_{(l)}^+(\alpha _{},z)`$ (4.4.37)
$`={\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{l}{}}}E_{(l)}^{}(\alpha _{},z)Y^{\sigma ,(1)}(\iota (e_{\alpha _i}),z)zE_{(l)}^+(\alpha _{},z)`$
$`=(6z)^1z{\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{l}{}}}\tau (\alpha _i)E_{(1)}^{}(\alpha _i+\alpha _{}/l,z)E_{(1)}^+(\alpha _i+\alpha _{}/l,z)`$
$`=(6z)^{\frac{1}{l}}z{\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{l}{}}}\tau (\alpha _i)E_{,(1)}^{}(\alpha _i,z)E_{,(1)}^+(\alpha _i,z)(6z)^{1+\frac{1}{l}}`$
$`=\tau \left(\frac{\alpha _{}}{l}\right)6^{\frac{1}{l}}z^{1\frac{1}{l}}{\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{l}{}}}Y_{}^{\sigma ,(1)}(\iota (e_{\alpha _i}),z)=\tau \left(\frac{\alpha _{}}{l}\right)6^{\frac{1}{l}}z^{1\frac{1}{l}}Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(i(x_\alpha ),z),`$
so that the operator $`\pi ^\sigma Z(\alpha ,z)`$ is essentially a relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operator. Denote by $`𝒵_{V_L^T}^{}`$ the subalgebra of $`\text{End}V_L^T`$ generated by the component operators of the fields $`\pi ^\sigma Z(\alpha ,z)`$, $`\alpha \mathrm{\Phi }`$. Clearly, $`𝒵_{V_L^T}^{}\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$. It then follows from \[LW, Proposition 3.1\] and the “equivalence theorem” \[LW, Theorems 5.5 and 5.6\] that $`𝒵_{V_L^T}^{}`$ acts irreducibly on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$, so that the same must be true for $`\overline{𝒴}_{V_L^T}`$. ∎

Recall from (3.2.24)-(3.2.25) and (4.4.17) that the Virasoro element $`\omega _2\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0`$ induces a $`\frac{1}{6}𝐙`$-gradation on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$ via the operator $`L^2(0)=\text{Res}_zzY^\sigma (\omega _2,z)`$, and that the corresponding $`q`$-trace is given by $`f_{_{k_0,l}}(q)`$ (cf. (3.2.26) and (3.2.30)).

###### Lemma 4.4.7.

With the above notations, one has

$$\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(\omega _2+W_{L(l,0)},z)=Y^\sigma (\omega _2,z).$$
(4.4.38)
In particular, the $`q`$-trace

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\sigma (q):=\text{tr}_{_{\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}}}q^{\overline{L}_{}(0){\scriptscriptstyle \frac{c_2(k)}{24}}}\text{ }\text{(}\text{where}\text{ }\overline{L}_{}(0)=\text{Res}_zz\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(\omega _2+W_{L(l,0)},z)\text{)}$$

is well defined and coincides with $`f_{_{k_0,l}}(q)`$.

###### Proof.

One can use the definition of relative $`\sigma `$-twisted vertex operators in §4.3 and imitate the proof of Lemma 4.4.2 in order to obtain from Corollary 4.3.3 that when acting on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{}^\sigma `$,

$$Y_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)=Y^{\sigma ,(l)}(v,z)=Y^\sigma (v,z)\text{ for }v\mathrm{\Omega }_l^0.$$
(4.4.39)
By Proposition 4.4.6, (4.4.39) holds even as an identity between (series of) operators on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$. Then (4.4.38) follows from Lemma 4.4.1, (4.4.21), (4.4.23) and (4.4.39). ∎

Summarizing, we have

###### Theorem 4.4.8.

Let $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$ and $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}𝒪_2(k)`$. Then the structure

$$(\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A,\overline{Y}_{}^{(l)},\iota (A),\omega _2\iota (A),l,G,(,))$$

is a simple GVOA of rank $`c_2(k)`$ which acts irreducibly on $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$ by means of the operators $`\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$, in such a way that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$ has a well-defined $`q`$-trace $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\sigma (q)`$ given by

$$\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\sigma (q)=f_{_{k_0,l}}(q)=\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\tau (q),$$

where $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\tau (q)`$ is as in Theorem 3.2.7. $`\mathrm{}`$

###### Remark 4.4.9.

It follows from Lemma 4.4.5 and Proposition 4.4.6 that the whole VOA $`L(l,0)`$ acts in fact irreducibly on each of the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$, by means of the operators $`\overline{Y}_{}^{\sigma ,(l)}(,z)`$. Furthermore, under this action the Virasoro element $`\omega ^{}L(l,0)`$ (see (4.4.17) and (3.2.20)) induces the same $`q`$-trace $`\chi _{_{k_0,k}}^\sigma (q)`$ for the space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$. The techniques of Lemma 4.4.5 and Proposition 4.4.6 seem therefore flexible enough to allow the construction of structures of (G)VOA type which are “larger” than $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ and still satisfy the properties described in Theorem 4.4.8 (except possibly for the rank).

We conclude our partial discussion of Problems 1 and 2 with some remarks about potential further developments. A natural context for Theorem 4.4.8 would obviously be the “twisted representation theory” of the GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$. This fact alone motivates therefore an axiomatic study of the notion of “twisted module for a GVOA”, of which the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$ should be natural examples. It is quite clear that the techniques used for proving Lemma 4.4.5 and Proposition 4.4.6 are easily adapted to the more general setting of an arbitrary positive definite even lattice, thus extending to a reasonably large class of examples. We therefore believe that formulas such as (4.4.35) and (4.4.37) together with the duality properties of ordinary twisted modules could lead to a relatively simple-looking Jacobi identity for a twisted GVOA-module, which is usually the main axiom for structures of this type. (The very technical nature of the generalized twisted Jacobi identity established in \[DL2\] makes this identity somewhat inappropriate for such purposes.) The appropriate axiomatic setting once developed, one expects the GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$ to be “$`\sigma `$-rational” and the spaces $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{k_0,l}`$, $`k_0\{0,1,\mathrm{},k\}`$, to be in fact its only simple $`\sigma `$-twisted modules, in view of the “equivalence theorem” \[LW, Theorems 5.5 and 5.6\]. Theorem 3.2.7, Theorem 4.4.8, and Remark 3.2.8 (ii) would then suggest a strong connection between the $`\tau `$-twisted representation theory of the $`\tau `$-rational VOA $`V_k\left(A_1^{(1)}\right)^{\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}2}}`$ and the “$`\sigma `$-twisted representation theory” of the “$`\sigma `$-rational” GVOA $`\mathrm{\Omega }_{L(l,0)}^A`$, or between appropriate substructures of these algebras. We believe that such connections would eventually answer Problems 1 and 2 in the affirmative.

## Appendix: Some character formulas

We give here the formula for the unspecialized character of $`V=L(3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_2^{(1)})`$. Recall the notations from §2.1 in this case. In particular, $`\alpha _0`$, $`\alpha _1`$, $`\alpha _2`$ are the simple roots and $`\delta =\alpha _0+\alpha _1+\alpha _2`$. Set $`u=e^{\alpha _0}`$, $`v=e^{\alpha _1}`$, $`w=e^{\alpha _2}`$. The computations were made by using the techniques developed in \[KP\] and \[K1\], that is, by expressing $`\text{ch}V`$ in terms of the string functions for the maximal dominant weights and explicitly calculating their orbits under the affine Weyl group. One gets

$`e^{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0}\text{ch}V=`$ $`\left({\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}\text{dim}V_{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0k\delta }(uvw)^k\right)\left[{\displaystyle \underset{m,n\text{Z}}{}}(uvw)^{3(m^2+n^2mn)}v^{3m}w^{3n}\right]`$ (A.1)
$`+\left({\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}\text{dim}V_{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0\alpha _0k\delta }(uvw)^{k+1}\right)[{\displaystyle \underset{m,n\text{Z}}{}}(uvw)^{3(m^2+n^2mn)(2mn)}v^{13m}w^{3n}`$
$`\times \left(1+(uvw)^{2(2mn)}v^2\right)+{\displaystyle \underset{m,n\text{Z}}{}}(uvw)^{3(m^2+n^2mn)(2nm)}v^{3m}w^{13n}`$
$`\times \left(1+(uvw)^{2(2nm)}w^2\right)+{\displaystyle \underset{m,n\text{Z}}{}}(uvw)^{3(m^2+n^2mn)(m+n)}v^{13m}w^{13n}`$
$`\times (1+(uvw)^{2(m+n)}v^2w^2)]+({\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}\text{dim}V_{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_02\alpha _0\alpha _2k\delta }(uvw)^k)`$
$`\times \left[{\displaystyle \underset{m,n\text{Z}}{}}(uvw)^{3(m^2+n^2mnmn)+2}v^{1+3(2nm)}w^{1+3n}\right]`$
$`+\left({\displaystyle \underset{k=0}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}}\text{dim}V_{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_02\alpha _0\alpha _1k\delta }(uvw)^k\right)`$
$`\times \left[{\displaystyle \underset{m,n\text{Z}}{}}(uvw)^{3(m^2+n^2mn+mn)+2}v^{13m}w^{13n}\right].`$
Using the table Affine $`A_2`$-Level 3-Class 0-Rp 4 from \[KMPS, p. 408\], one can obtain concrete expressions for every specialization $`F_{(s_0,s_1,s_2)}(e^{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0}\text{ch}V)`$ “near the top” of the module $`V`$. For instance,

$$F_{(4,1,1)}(e^{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0}\text{ch}V)|_{qq^{\frac{1}{6}}}=1+q^{\frac{4}{6}}+2q^{\frac{5}{6}}+2q+2q^{\frac{7}{6}}+\mathrm{}+46q^{\frac{20}{6}}+𝒪(q^{\frac{21}{6}}).$$
(A.2)
Unfortunately, as shown by computer experiments, it is not likely that (A.2) could be rewritten as a product formula in which the graded dimension of a symmetric algebra is easily identifiable (cf. Remark 3.2.6). The same can actually be said about the character

$$F_{(1,0,0)}(e^{3\mathrm{\Lambda }_0}\text{ch}V)=1+8q+44q^2+192q^3+\mathrm{}+𝒪(q^{23}),$$

which up to the factor $`q^{\frac{1}{6}}`$ is just the $`q`$-trace of the VOA $`V_3(A_2^{(1)})`$. The latter formula may of course be used for computing the graded dimension of the vacuum space $`\mathrm{\Omega }_3`$. Indeed, after dividing out the graded dimension of the Fock space $`M(3)`$ (which by (3.2.18) is $`_{n=1}^{\mathrm{}}(1q^n)^2)`$ one gets

$$dim_{}\mathrm{\Omega }_3=1+6q+27q^2+98q^3+\mathrm{}+𝒪(q^{23}).$$

For the purposes described in §3.2, we are in fact more interested in comparing the $`q`$-traces of the VOAs $`\mathrm{\Omega }_3^0`$ and $`V_1(A_1^{(1)})^2`$. If we substitute $`u`$ by $`qv^1w^1`$ in formula (A.1), then multiply it with $`_{n=1}^{\mathrm{}}(1q^n)^2`$ and collect the terms containing only zero powers of $`v`$ and $`w`$, we get

$$\text{tr}_{_{\mathrm{\Omega }_3^0}}q^{L^2(0)\frac{c_2(1)}{24}}=q^{\frac{1}{12}}(1+3q^2+8q^3+16q^4+\mathrm{}+𝒪(q^{22})),$$
(A.3)
since $`c_2(1)=2`$ (cf. §3.2). On the other hand, using the formulas of \[KMPS, §21.8\] for the unspecialized character of $`L(\mathrm{\Lambda }_0;A_1^{(1)})=V_1(A_1^{(1)})`$, one gets (recall from §3.2 that $`c_1(1)=1`$)

$$\text{tr}_{V_1(A_1^{(1)})}q^{L(0)\frac{c_1(1)}{24}}=q^{\frac{1}{24}}(1+3q+4q^2+7q^3+\mathrm{}+𝒪(q^{23})),$$
(A.4)
and consequently

$$\text{tr}_{V_1(A_1^{(1)})^2}q^{L_{_{}}(0)\frac{c_2(1)}{24}}=q^{\frac{1}{12}}(1+6q+17q^2+38q^3+\mathrm{}+𝒪(q^{23})).$$
(A.5)
As we already noted in §3.2, the conformal vectors of $`\mathrm{\Omega }_3^0`$ and $`V_1(A_1^{(1)})`$ are such that $`\text{rank}\mathrm{\Omega }_3^0=2\text{rank}V_1(A_1^{(1)})`$, which obviously prevents these spaces from being isomorphic as VOAs. Formulas (A.3) and (A.4) show actually that $`\mathrm{\Omega }_3^0`$ and $`V_1(A_1^{(1)})`$ are not even isomorphic as graded vector spaces. Moreover, (A.3) and (A.5) imply that although they have the same rank, the VOAs $`\mathrm{\Omega }_3^0`$ and $`V_1(A_1^{(1)})^2`$ cannot be isomorphic either.