The orbit method for the Virasoro algebra

Abstract

Let $W = \mathbb{C}[t, t^{-1}]\partial_t$ be the Witt algebra of algebraic vector fields on $\mathbb{C}^\times$ and let $V\!ir$ be the Virasoro algebra, the unique nontrivial central extension of $W$. In 2023, Petukhov and Sierra showed that Poisson primitive ideals of $\mathrm{S}(W)$ and $\mathrm{S}(V\!ir)$ can be constructed from elements of $W^*$ and $V\!ir^*$ of a particular form, called local functions. In this paper, we show how to use a local function on $W$ or $V\!ir$ to construct a representation of the Lie algebra. We further show that the annihilators of these representations are new completely prime primitive ideals of $\mathrm{U}(W)$ and $\mathrm{U}(V\!ir)$. We use this to define a Dixmier map from the Poisson primitive spectrum of $\mathrm{S}(V\!ir)$, respectively $\mathrm{S}(W)$, to the primitive spectrum of $\mathrm{U}(V\!ir)$, respectively $\mathrm{U}(W)$, successfully extending the orbit method from finite-dimensional solvable Lie algebras to our countable-dimensional setting. Our method involves new ring homomorphisms from $\mathrm{U}(W)$ to the tensor product of a localized Weyl algebra and the enveloping algebra of a finite-dimensional solvable subquotient of $W$. We further show that the kernels of these homomorphisms are intersections of the primitive ideals constructed from natural subsets of $W^*$. As a corollary, we disprove the conjecture that any primitive ideal of $\mathrm{U}(W)$ is the kernel of some map from $\mathrm{U}(W)$ to the first Weyl algebra.