Singular Vectors and Topological Theories from Virasoro Constraints via the Kontsevich-Miwa Transform

Abstract

We use the Kontsevich-Miwa transform to relate the different pictures describing matter coupled to topological gravity in two dimensions: topological theories, Virasoro constraints on integrable hierarchies, and a DDK-type formalism. With the help of the Kontsevich-Miwa transform, we solve the Virasoro constraints on the KP hierarchy in terms of minimal models dressed with a (free) Liouville-like scalar. The dressing prescription originates in a topological (twisted N=2) theory. The Virasoro constraints are thus related to essentially the N=2 null state decoupling equations. The N=2 generators are constructed out of matter, the `Liouville' scalar, and $c=-2$ ghosts. By a `dual' construction involving the reparametrization $c=-26$ ghosts, the DDK dressing prescription is reproduced from the N=2 symmetry. As a by-product we thus observe that there are two ways to dress arbitrary $d\leq1$ or $d\geq25$ matter theory, that allow its embedding into a topological theory. By th e Kontsevich-Miwa transform, which introduces an infinite set of `time' variables $t_r$, the equations ensuring the vanishing of correlators that involve BRST-exact primary states, factorize through the Virasoro generators expressed in terms of the $t_r$. The background charge of these Virasoro generators is determined by the topological central charge.