The Verlinde algebra is twisted equivariant K-theory

Authors: DANIEL S. FREED

Abstract: The Verlinde algebra, which mathematically appears in the theory of loop groups and is related to moduli spaces of bundles over curves, turns out to be describable in terms of K-theory. This is a joint discovery with M. Hopkins and C. Teleman. Here we explain in heuristic terms how this fits naturally into ideas about the Chern-Simons topological field theory.

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