On the Classification of Real Forms of Non-Abelian Toda Theories and W-algebras

We consider conformal non-Abelian Toda theories obtained by hamiltonian reduction from Wess-Zumino-Witten models based on general real Lie groups. We study in detail the possible choices of reality conditions which can be imposed on the WZW or Toda fields and prove correspondences with sl(2,R) embeddings into real Lie algebras and with the possible real forms of the associated W-algebras. We devise a a method for finding all real embeddings which can be obtained from a given embedding of sl(2,C) into a complex Lie algebra. We then apply this to give a complete classification of real embeddings which are principal in some simple regular subalgebra of a classical Lie algebra. hep-th/9802201 US-FT/2-98 DAMTP/97-148 December 1997 e-mail: [email protected] Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EW, UK. e-mail: [email protected] Dpto de F́ısica de Part́ıculas, E-15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain