Coset models and Nahm's conjecture

Speaker: Dr. Sinead Keegan (DIAS)

Time: 3:00PM
Date: Wed 24th November 2010

Location: Mathematical Sciences Seminar Room

 

Abstract
Nahm's conjecture deals with the question of when a certain r-fold q-hypergeometric series fA,B,C is modular. In particular it predicts which values of A may occur. In the case where A is chosen such that fA,B,C is modular there is no known method for calculating suitable values of B (without resorting to a computer search!). In this talk we look at Nahm's conjecture from the point of view of conformal field theory by considering coset models of the form suˆ(2)k/uˆ(1). By calculating the characters of these cosets and relating them to the functions fA,B,C it can be seen that the B-values satisfy a nice pattern that is closely related to the matrix A.

(This talk is part of the K-Theory, Quadratic Forms and Number Theory series.)