Bootstrapping fermionic rational CFTs with three characters

Abstract

Abstract Recently, the modular linear differential equation (MLDE) for level-two congruence subgroups Γθ, Γ0(2) and Γ0(2) of SL2(ℤ) was developed and used to classify the fermionic rational conformal field theories (RCFT). Two character solutions of the second-order fermionic MLDE without poles were found and their corresponding CFTs are identified. Here we extend this analysis to explore the landscape of three character fermionic RCFTs obtained from the third-order fermionic MLDE without poles. Especially, we focus on a class of the fermionic RCFTs whose Neveu-Schwarz sector vacuum character has no free-fermion currents and Ramond sector saturates the bound hR ≥ $$ \frac{C}{24} $$ C 24 , which is the unitarity bound for the supersymmetric case. Most of the solutions can be mapped to characters of the fermionized WZW models. We find the pairs of fermionic CFTs whose characters can be combined to produce K(τ), the character of the c = 12 fermionic CFT for Co0 sporadic group.