Title: The search for exotic conformal field theories

Speaker: David Evans (Cardiff)

Time: 11:30-12:05 (GMT+0), 2021.08.10

Abstract:

Subfactors are useful mechanisms for understanding modular tensor categories and conformal field theories. As part of this, one issue to try and construct or reconstruct a conformal field theory as the representation theory of a conformal net of algebras, or as a vertex operator algebra from a given abstractly presented modular tensor category. I will illustrate this with the tantalizing example of the Haagerup subfactor which was thought to be exotic and not arising from loop groups, quantum groups or more classical objects but where there is now significant evidence to the contrary and that there maybe an underlying conformal field theory.