We relate commutative algebras in braided tensor categories to braid-reversed tensor equivalences, motivated by vertex algebra representation theory. First, for C a braided tensor category, we give a detailed construction of the canonical algebra in C⊠C^rev: if C is semisimple but not necessarily finite or rigid, then ⨁X∈Irr(C) X′⊠X is a commutative algebra, with X′ a representing object for Hom_C(∙⊗_C X,1_C). Conversely, let A=⨁i∈I U_i ⊠ V_i be a simple commutative algebra in U⊠V with U semisimple and rigid but not necessarily finite, and V rigid but not necessarily semisimple. If the unit objects of U and V form a commuting pair in A, we show there is a braid-reversed equivalence between subcategories of U and V sending U_i to (V_i)*. When U and V are module categories for simple vertex operator algebras U and V, we glue U and V along U⊠V via a map τ: Irr(U)→Obj(V) such that τ(U)=V to create A=⨁X∈Irr(U) X′⊗τ(X). Thus under certain conditions, τ extends to a braid-reversed equivalence between U and V if and only if A is a simple conformal vertex algebra extending U⊗V. As examples, we glue Kazhdan-Lusztig categories at generic levels to obtain new vertex algebras extending the tensor product of two affine vertex algebras, and we prove braid-reversed equivalences between certain module categories for affine vertex algebras and W-algebras at admissible levels.

Let V⊆A be a conformal inclusion of vertex operator algebras and let C be a category of grading-restricted generalized V-modules that admits the vertex algebraic braided tensor category structure of Huang-Lepowsky-Zhang. We give conditions under which C inherits semisimplicity from the category of grading-restricted generalized A-modules in C, and vice versa. The most important condition is that A be a rigid V-module in C with non-zero categorical dimension, that is, we assume the index of V as a subalgebra of A is finite and non-zero. As a consequence, we show that if A is strongly rational, then V is also strongly rational under the following conditions: A contains V as a V-module direct summand, V is C_2-cofinite with a rigid tensor category of modules, and A has non-zero categorical dimension as a V-module. These results are vertex operator algebra interpretations of theorems proved for general commutative algebras in braided tensor categories. We also generalize these results to the case that A is a vertex operator superalgebra.

We give a block decomposition of the dg category of character sheaves on a simple and simply-connected complex reductive group G, similar to the one in generalized Springer correspondence. As a corollary, we identify the category of character sheaves on G as the category of quasi-coherent sheaves on an explicitly defined derived stack G^.

n this paper we study representations of skew group algebras $\Lambda G$, where $\Lambda$ is a connected, basic, finite-dimensional algebra (or a locally finite graded algebra) over an algebraically closed field $k$ with characteristic $p \geqslant 0$, and $G$ is an arbitrary finite group each element of which acts as an algebra automorphism on $\Lambda$. We characterize skew group algebras with finite global dimension or finite representation type, and classify the representation types of transporter categories for $p \neq 2,3$. When $\Lambda$ is a locally finite graded algebra and the action of $G$ on $\Lambda$ preserves grading, we show that $\Lambda G$ is a generalized Koszul algebra if and only if so is $\Lambda$.

In this paper we describe a machinery for homological calculations of representations of FI_G, and use it to develop a local cohomology theory over any commutative Noetherian ring. As an application, we show that the depth introduced by the second author coincides with a more classical invariant from commutative algebra, and obtain upper bounds of a few important invariants of FI_G-modules in terms of torsion degrees of their local cohomology groups.