Positive energy representations of double extensions of Hilbert loop algebras

Abstract

A real Lie algebra with a compatible Hilbert space structure (in the sense that the scalar product is invariant) is called a Hilbert-Lie algebra. Such Lie algebras are natural infinite-dimensional analogues of the compact Lie algebras; in particular, any infinite-dimensional simple Hilbert-Lie algebra $\mathfrak{k}$ is of one of the four classical types $A_J$, $B_J$, $C_J$ or $D_J$ for some infinite set $J$. Imitating the construction of affine Kac-Moody algebras, one can then consider affinisations of $\mathfrak{k}$, that is, double extensions of (twisted) loop algebras over $\mathfrak{k}$. Such an affinisation $\mathfrak{g}$ of $\mathfrak{k}$ possesses a root space decomposition with respect to some Cartan subalgebra $\mathfrak{h}$, whose corresponding root system yields one of the seven locally affine root systems (LARS) of type $A_J^{(1)}$, $B^{(1)}_J$, $C^{(1)}_J$, $D_J^{(1)}$, $B_J^{(2)}$, $C_J^{(2)}$ or $BC_J^{(2)}$. Let $D\in\mathrm{der}(\mathfrak{g})$ with $\mathfrak{h}\subseteq\mathrm{ker}D$ (a diagonal derivation of $\mathfrak{g}$). Then every highest weight representation $(\rho_{\lambda},L(\lambda))$ of $\mathfrak{g}$ with highest weight $\lambda$ can be extended to a representation $\widetilde{\rho}_{\lambda}$ of the semi-direct product $\mathfrak{g}\rtimes \mathbb{R} D$. In this paper, we characterise all pairs $(\lambda,D)$ for which the representation $\widetilde{\rho}_{\lambda}$ is of positive energy, namely, for which the spectrum of the operator $-i\widetilde{\rho}_{\lambda}(D)$ is bounded from below.