Witten's conjecture and recursions for $\kappa$ classes

Abstract

We construct a countable number of differential operators ${\hat{L}}_n$ that annihilate a generating function for intersection numbers of $\kappa$ classes on $\Moduli_g$ (the $\kappa$-potential). This produces recursions among intersection numbers of $\kappa$ classes which determine all such numbers from a single initial condition. The starting point of the work is a combinatorial formula relating intersecion numbers of $\psi$ and $\kappa$ classes. Such a formula produces an exponential differential operator acting on the Gromov-Witten potential to produce the $\kappa$-potential; after restricting to a hyperplane, we have an explicit change of variables relating the two generating functions, and we conjugate the "classical" Virasoro operators to obtain the operators ${\hat{L}}_n$.