Intertwining operator algebras and vertex tensor categories for affine Lie algebras

Abstract

We apply the general theory of tensor products of modules for a vertex operator algebra developed in our papers hep-th/9309076, hep-th/9309159, hep-th/9401119, q-alg/9505018, q-alg/9505019 and q-alg/9505020 to the case of the Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten models and related models in conformal field theory. We show that for the category of modules for a vertex operator algebra containing a subalgebra isomorphic to a tensor product of rational vertex operator algebras associated to affine Lie algebras, the intertwining operators among the modules have the associativity property, the category has a natural structure of vertex tensor category, and a number of related results hold. We obtain, as a corollary and special case, a construction of the previously-studied braided tensor category structure on the category of finite direct sums of standard (integrable highest weight) modules of a fixed positive integral level for an affine Lie algebra.