Modular Structure and Duality in Conformal Quantum Field Theory

Making use of a recent result of Borchers, an algebraic version of the BisognanoWichmann theorem is given for conformal quantum field theories, i.e. the Tomita-Takesaki modular group associated with the von Neumann algebra of a wedge region and the vacuum vector concides with the evolution given by the rescaled pure Lorentz transformations preserving the wedge. A similar geometric description is valid for the algebras associated with double cones. Moreover essential duality holds on the Minkowski space M , and Haag duality for double cones holds provided the net of local algebras is extended to a pre-cosheaf on the superworld M̃ , i.e. the universal covering of the Dirac-Weyl compactification of M . As a consequence a PCT symmetry exists for any algebraic conformal field theory in even spacetime dimension. Analogous results hold for a Poincaré covariant theory provided the modular groups corresponding to wedge algebras have the expected geometrical meaning and the split property is satisfied. In particular the Poincaré representation is unique in this case. ∗ Supported in part by Ministero della Ricerca Scientifica and CNR-GNAFA. • Supported in part by INFN, sez. Napoli.