A new quasi-lisse affine vertex algebra of type $D_4$

Abstract

We consider a family of potential quasi-lisse affine vertex algebras $L_{k_m}(D_4)$ at levels $k_m=-6+\frac{4}{2m+1}$. In the case $m=0$, the irreducible $L_{k_0}(D_4)$--modules were classified in arXiv:1205.3003, and it was proved in arXiv:1610.05865 that $L_{k_0}(D_4)$ is a quasi-lisse vertex algebra. We conjecture that $L_{k_m}(D_4)$ is quasi-lisse for every $m\in {\mathbb{Z}}_{>0}$, and that it contains a unique irreducible ordinary module. In this article we prove this conjecture for $m=1$, by using mostly computational methods. We show that the maximal ideal in the universal affine vertex algebra $V^{k_1}(D_4)$ is generated by three singular vectors of conformal weight six. The explicit formulas were obtained using software. Then we apply Zhu's theory and classify all irreducible $L_{k_1}(D_4)$--modules. It turns out that $L_{k_1}(D_4)$ has $405$ irreducible modules in the category $\mathcal{O}$, but a unique irreducible ordinary module. Finally, we prove that $L_{k_1}(D_4)$ is quasi-lisse by showing that its associated variety is contained in the nilpotent cone of $D_4$. We also prove that the associated variety $X_{L_{k_1}(D_4)}$ is ${\overline{\mathbb{O}}}_{sreg}$, the Zariski closure of the subregular nilpotent orbit in $D_4$.

20 pages, v2: added a proof of the conjecture on the associated variety, which is now Theorem 1.3