Spectrum of quantum KdV hierarchy in the semiclassical limit

Abstract

We employ semiclassical quantization to calculate spectrum of quantum KdV charges in the limit of large central charge $c$. Classically, KdV charges $Q_{2n-1}$ generate completely integrable dynamics on the co-adjoint orbit of the Virasoro algebra. They can be expressed in terms of action variables $I_k$, e.g.~as a power series expansion. Quantum-mechanically this series becomes the expansion in $1/c$, while action variables become integer-valued quantum numbers $n_i$. Crucially, classical expression, which is homogeneous in $I_k$, acquires quantum corrections that include terms of subleading powers in $n_k$. At first two non-trivial orders in $1/c$ expansion these ``quantum'' terms can be fixed from the analytic form of $Q_{2n-1}$ acting on the primary states. In this way we find explicit expression for the spectrum of $Q_{2n-1}$ up to first three orders in $1/c$ expansion. We apply this result to study thermal expectation values of $Q_{2n-1}$ and free energy of the KdV Generalized Gibbs Ensemble.