Niemeier Lattices Research Articles

Duality defects in Dn-type Niemeier lattice CFTs

We discuss the construction of duality defects in c = 24 meromorphic CFTs that correspond to Niemeier lattices. We will illustrate our constructions for the Dn-type lattices. We will identify non-anomalous ℤ2 symmetries of these theories, and we show that on orbifolding with respect to these symmetries, these theories map to each other. We investigate this map, and in the case of self-dual orbifolds, we provide the duality defect partition functions. We show that exchange automorphisms in some CFTs give rise to a new class of defect partition functions.

Octonionic Magical Supergravity, Niemeier Lattices, and Exceptional & Hilbert Modular Forms

AbstractThe quantum degeneracies of Bogomolny‐Prasad‐Sommerfield (BPS) black holes of octonionic magical supergravity in five dimensions are studied. Quantum degeneracy is defined purely number theoretically as the number of distinct states in charge space with a given set of invariant labels. Quantum degeneracies of spherically symmetric stationary BPS black holes are given by the Fourier coefficients of modular forms of exceptional group . Their charges take values in the lattice defined by the exceptional Jordan algebra over integral octonions. The quantum degeneracies of rank 1 and rank 2 BPS black holes are given by the Fourier coefficients of singular modular forms and . The rank 3 (large) BPS black holes will be studied elsewhere. Following the work of N. Elkies and B. Gross on embeddings of cubic rings A into the exceptional Jordan algebra we show that the quantum degeneracies of rank 1 black holes described by such embeddings are given by the Fourier coefficients of the Hilbert modular forms (HMFs) of . If the discriminant of the cubic ring A is with p a prime number then the isotropic lines in the 24 dimensional orthogonal complement of A define a pair of Niemeier lattices which can be taken as charge lattices of some BPS black holes. The current status of the searches for the M/superstring theoretic origins of the octonionic magical supergravity is also reviewed.

A note on construction of the Leech lattice

In this paper, we present a method to construct the Leech lattice from other Niemeier lattices.

Unitary forms for holomorphic vertex operator algebras of central charge 24

We prove that all holomorphic vertex operator algebras of central charge $24$ with non-trivial weight one subspaces are unitary. The main method is to use the orbifold construction of a holomorphic VOA $V$ of central charge $24$ directly from a Niemeier lattice VOA $V_N$. We show that it is possible to extend the unitary form for the lattice VOA $V_N$ to the holomorphic VOA $V$ by using the orbifold construction and some information of the automorphism group $\mathrm{Aut}(V)$.

Dimension formulae and generalised deep holes of the Leech lattice vertex operator algebra

We prove a dimension formula for the weight-1 subspace of a vertex operator algebra $V^{\operatorname{orb}(g)}$ obtained by orbifolding a strongly rational, holomorphic vertex operator algebra $V$ of central charge 24 with a finite-order automorphism $g$. Based on an upper bound derived from this formula we introduce the notion of a generalised deep hole in $\operatorname{Aut}(V)$. Then we show that the orbifold construction defines a bijection between the generalised deep holes of the Leech lattice vertex operator algebra $V_\Lambda$ with non-trivial fixed-point Lie subalgebra and the strongly rational, holomorphic vertex operator algebras of central charge 24 with non-vanishing weight-1 space. This provides the first uniform construction of these vertex operator algebras and naturally generalises the correspondence between the deep holes of the Leech lattice $\Lambda$ and the 23 Niemeier lattices with non-vanishing root system found by Conway, Parker and Sloane.

A lattice theoretical interpretation of generalized deep holes of the Leech lattice vertex operator algebra

Abstract We give a lattice theoretical interpretation of generalized deep holes of the Leech lattice VOA $V_\Lambda $ . We show that a generalized deep hole defines a ‘true’ automorphism invariant deep hole of the Leech lattice. We also show that there is a correspondence between the set of isomorphism classes of holomorphic VOA V of central charge $24$ having non-abelian $V_1$ and the set of equivalence classes of pairs $(\tau , \tilde {\beta })$ satisfying certain conditions, where $\tau \in Co.0$ and $\tilde {\beta }$ is a $\tau $ -invariant deep hole of squared length $2$ . It provides a new combinatorial approach towards the classification of holomorphic VOAs of central charge $24$ . In particular, we give an explanation for an observation of G. Höhn, which relates the weight one Lie algebras of holomorphic VOAs of central charge $24$ to certain codewords associated with the glue codes of Niemeier lattices.

Systematic orbifold constructions of Schellekens' vertex operator algebras from Niemeier lattices

We present a systematic, rigorous construction of all 70 strongly rational, holomorphic vertex operator algebras $V$ of central charge 24 with non-zero weight-one space $V_1$ as cyclic orbifold constructions associated with the 24 Niemeier lattice vertex operator algebras $V_N$ and certain 226 short automorphisms in $\operatorname{Aut}(V_N)$. We show that up to algebraic conjugacy these automorphisms are exactly the generalised deep holes, as introduced in arXiv:1910.04947, of the Niemeier lattice vertex operator algebras with the additional property that their orders are equal to those of the corresponding outer automorphisms. Together with the constructions in arXiv:1708.05990 and arXiv:1910.04947 this gives three different uniform constructions of these vertex operator algebras, which are related through 11 algebraic conjugacy classes in $\operatorname{Co}_0$. Finally, by considering the inverse orbifold constructions associated with the 226 short automorphisms, we give the first systematic proof of the result that each strongly rational, holomorphic vertex operator algebra $V$ of central charge 24 with non-zero weight-one space $V_1$ is uniquely determined by the Lie algebra structure of $V_1$.

Orbifold construction and Lorentzian construction of Leech lattice vertex operator algebra

We generalize Conway-Sloane's constructions of the Leech lattice from Niemeier lattices using Lorentzian lattice to holomorphic vertex operator algebras (VOA) of central charge 24. It provides a tool for analyzing the structures and relations among holomorphic VOAs related by orbifold construction. In particular, we are able to get some useful information about certain lattice subVOAs associated with the Cartan subalgebra of the weight one Lie algebra V1. We also obtain a relatively elementary proof that any strongly regular holomorphic VOA of central charge 24 with V1≠0 can be constructed directly by a single orbifold construction from the Leech lattice VOA without using a dimension formula.

Hecke-Langlands Duality and Witten’s Gravitational Moonshine

The purpose of this research is to give a dual description of conformal blocks of d=2 rational CFT (conformal field theory) in terms of Hecke eigenforms and eigensheaves. In particular, partition functions, conformal characters and lattice theta functions may be reconstructed from the action of Hecke operators. This method can be applied to: 1) rings of integers of Galois number fields equipped with the trace (or anti-trace) form; 2) root lattices of affine Kac-Moody algebras and WZW-models; 3) minimal models of Belavin-Polyakov-Zamolodchikov and related d=2 spin-chain/lattice models; 4) vertex algebras of Leech and Niemeier lattices and others. We also use the original Witten’s idea to construct the 3-dimensional quantum gravity as the AdS/CFT-dual of c=24 Monster vertex algebra of Frenkel-Lepowsky- Meurman. Concerning the geometric Langlands duality, we use results of Beilinson-Drinfeld, Frenkel-Ben-Zvi, Gukov-Kapustin-Witten and many others (cf. references). The main new result in this paper is the construction of number-theoretical lattice vertex superalgebras in Section 5 and applications to conformal field theories and quantum gravity.

The characteristic masses of Niemeier lattices

Let L be an integral lattice in the Euclidean space R n and W an irreducible representation of the orthogonal group of R n. We give an implemented algorithm computing the dimension of the subspace of invariants in W under the isometry group O(L) of L. A key step is the determination of the number of elements in O(L) having any given characteristic polynomial, a datum that we call the characteristic masses of L. As an application, we determine the characteristic masses of all the Niemeier lattices, and more generally of any even lattice of determinant ≤ 2 in dimension n ≤ 25. For Niemeier lattices, as a verification, we provide an alternative (human) computation of the characteristic masses. The main ingredient is the determination, for each Niemeier lattice L with non-empty root system R, of the G(R)-conjugacy classes of the elements of the umbral subgroup O(L)/W(R) of G(R), where G(R) is the automor-phism group of the Dynkin diagram of R, and W(R) its Weyl group. These results have consequences for the study of the spaces of au-tomorphic forms of the definite orthogonal groups in n variables over Q. As an example, we provide concrete dimension formulas in the level 1 case, as a function of the weight W , up to dimension n = 25.

Niemeier lattices, smooth 4-manifolds and instantons

We show that the set of even positive definite lattices that arise from smooth, simply-connected 4-manifolds bounded by a fixed homology 3-sphere can depend on more than the ranks of the lattices. We provide two homology 3-spheres with distinct sets of such lattices, each containing a distinct nonempty subset of the rank 24 Niemeier lattices.

Notes on theta series for Niemeier lattices II

Following the paper "Note on theta series for Niemeier lattices", we study some congruence properties satisfied by the theta series associated with Niemeier lattices.

Automorphism groups of the holomorphic vertex operator algebras associated with Niemeier lattices and the $-1$-isometries

In this article, we determine the automorphism groups of 14 holomorphic vertex operator algebras of central charge 24 obtained by applying the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-orbifold construction to the Niemeier lattice vertex operator algebras and lifts of the $-1$-isometries.

BKM Lie superalgebras from counting twisted CHL dyons – II

We revisit earlier work by one of us which lead to a periodic table of Borcherds-Kac-Moody algebras that appeared in the context of the refined generating function of quarter-BPS states (dyons) in N=4 supersymmetric four-dimensional string theory. We make new additions to the periodic table by making use of connections with generalized Mathieu moonshine as well as umbral moonshine. We show the modularity of some Siegel modular forms that appear in umbral moonshine associated with Niemeier lattices constructed from A-type root systems and further show that the same Siegel modular forms appear for generalized Mathieu moonshine in some cases. We argue for the existence of a new kind of BKM Lie superalgebras that arise from the dyon generating functions for the Z5 and Z6 CHL orbifolds.

K3 Elliptic Genus and an Umbral Moonshine Module

Umbral moonshine connects the symmetry groups of the 23 Niemeier lattices with 23 sets of distinguished mock modular forms. The 23 cases of umbral moonshine have a uniform relation to symmetries of K3 string theories. Moreover, a supersymmetric vertex operator algebra with Conway sporadic symmetry also enjoys a close relation to the K3 elliptic genus. Inspired by the above two relations between moonshine and K3 string theory, we construct a chiral CFT by orbifolding the free theory of 24 chiral fermions and two pairs of fermionic and bosonic ghosts. In this paper we mainly focus on the case of umbral moonshine corresponding to the Niemeier lattice with root system given by 6 copies of D4 root system. This CFT then leads to the construction of an infinite-dimensional graded module for the umbral group {G^{D_4^{oplus 6}}} whose graded characters coincide with the umbral moonshine functions. We also comment on how one can recover all umbral moonshine functions corresponding to the Niemeier root systems {A_5^{oplus 4}D_4}, {A_7^{oplus 2}D_5^{oplus 2}}, {A_{11}D_7 E_6}, {A_{17}E_7}, and {D_{10}E_7^{oplus 2}}.

Reflective modular forms and applications

The reflective modular forms of orthogonal type are fundamental automorphic objects generalizing the classical Dedekind eta-function. This article describes two methods for constructing such modular forms in terms of Jacobi forms: automorphic products and Jacobi lifting. In particular, it is proved that the first non-zero Fourier–Jacobi coefficient of the Borcherds modular form (the generating function of the so-called Fake Monster Lie Algebra) in any of the 23 one-dimensional cusps coincides with the Kac–Weyl denominator function of the affine algebra of the root system of the corresponding Niemeier lattice. This article gives a new simple construction of the automorphic discriminant of the moduli space of Enriques surfaces as a Jacobi lifting of the product of eight theta-functions and considers three towers of reflective modular forms. One of them, the tower of , gives a solution to a problem of Yoshikawa (2009) concerning the construction of Lorentzian Kac–Moody algebras from the automorphic discriminants connected with del Pezzo surfaces and analytic torsions of Calabi–Yau manifolds. The article also formulates some conditions on sublattices, making it possible to produce families of `daughter' reflective forms from a fixed modular form. As a result, nearly 100 such functions are constructed here. Bibliography: 77 titles.

K3 string theory, lattices and moonshine

In this paper, we address the following two closely related questions. First, we complete the classification of finite symmetry groups of type IIA string theory on K3 times {mathbb {R}}^6, where Niemeier lattices play an important role. This extends earlier results by including points in the moduli space with enhanced gauge symmetries in spacetime, or, equivalently, where the world-sheet CFT becomes singular. After classifying the symmetries as abstract groups, we study how they act on the BPS states of the theory. In particular, we classify the conjugacy classes in the T-duality group O^+(Gamma ^{4,20}) which represent physically distinct symmetries. Subsequently, we make two conjectures regarding the connection between the corresponding twining genera of K3 CFTs and Conway and umbral moonshine, building upon earlier work on the relation between moonshine and the K3 elliptic genus.

Covering aspects of the Niemeier lattices

The Niemeier lattices are the 23 unimodular even lattices of norm 2 in dimension 24. We determine computationally their covering radius for 16 of those lattices and give lower bounds for the remaining that we conjecture to be exact. This is achieved by computing the list of Delaunay polytopes of those lattices.

3D string theory and Umbral moonshine

The simplest string theory compactifications to 3D with 16 supercharges—the heterotic string on T 7, and type II strings on —are related by U-duality, and share a moduli space of vacua parametrized by . One can think of this as the moduli space of even, self-dual 32-dimensional lattices with signature (8,24). At 24 special points in moduli space, the lattice splits as . can be the Leech lattice or any of 23 Niemeier lattices, while is the E8 root lattice. We show that starting from this observation, one can find a precise connection between the Umbral groups and type IIA string theory on K3. This may provide a natural physical starting point for understanding Mathieu and Umbral moonshine. The maximal unbroken subgroups of Umbral groups in 6D (or any other limit) are those obtained by starting at the associated Niemeier point and moving in moduli space while preserving the largest possible subgroup of the Umbral group. To illustrate the action of these symmetries on BPS states, we discuss the computation of certain protected four-derivative terms in the effective field theory, and recover facts about the spectrum and symmetry representations of 1/2-BPS states.

Niemeier Lattices in the Free Fermionic Heterotic–String Formulation

The spinor–vector duality was discovered in free fermionic constructions of the heterotic string in four dimensions. It played a key role in the construction of heterotic–string models with an anomaly-free extra Z′ symmetry that may remain unbroken down to low energy scales. A generic signature of the low scale string derived Z′ model is via diphoton excess that may be within reach of the LHC. A fascinating possibility is that the spinor–vector duality symmetry is rooted in the structure of the heterotic–string compactifications to two dimensions. The two-dimensional heterotic–string theories are in turn related to the so-called moonshine symmetries that underlie the two-dimensional compactifications. In this paper, we embark on exploration of this connection by the free fermionic formulation to classify the symmetries of the two-dimensional heterotic–string theories. We use two complementary approaches in our classification. The first utilises a construction which is akin to the one used in the spinor–vector duality. Underlying this method is the triality property of SO(8) representations. In the second approach, we use the free fermionic tools to classify the twenty-four-dimensional Niemeier lattices.