SLE and Virasoro representations: Fusion

Abstract: We continue the study of null-vector equations in relation with partition functions of (systems of) Schramm-Loewner Evolutions (SLEs) by considering the question of fusion. Starting from $n$ commuting SLEs seeded at distinct points, the partition function satisfies $n$ null-vector equations (at level 2). We show how to obtain higher level null-vector equations by coalescing the seeds one by one. As an example, we extend Schramm's formula (for the position of a marked bulk point relatively to a chordal SLE trace) to an arbitrary number of SLE strands. The argument combines input from representation theory - the study of Verma modules for the Virasoro algebra - with regularity estimates, themselves based on hypoellipticity and stochastic flow arguments.