Houches March 2003

École de physique des Houches

W Nahm
Physics and dilogarithms


Abstract:


Dilogarithms occur in physics in two different contexts, which so far do not seem to be related: the evaluation of Feynman graphs and the arithmetic properties of rational conformal field theories (CFTs). The lectures will concentrate on the latter topic. We will discuss the structure of CFT partition functions, in particular the characters of the corresponding W algebras, the Galois group of rational CFTs and the relation between quantum and conformal dimensions of the characters. We will explore the conjectured relation between torsion elements of the Bloch group, the transformation of characters under the modular group and level-rank duality. Finally we will discuss massive deformations and the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz.

lecture: