Module Categories of the Generic Virasoro VOA and Quantum Groups

In this paper, we prove the equivalence between two ribbon tensor categories. On the one hand, we consider the category of modules of the Virasoro vertex operator algebra with generic central charge (generic Virasoro VOA) generated by those simple modules lying in the first row of the Kac table. On the other hand, we take the category of finite-dimensional type I modules of the quantum group U_q (sl₂) with q determined by the central charge. This is a continuation of our previous work in which we examined intertwining operators for the generic Virasoro VOA in detail. Our strategy to show the categorical equivalence is to take those results as input and directly compare the structures of tensor categories. Therefore, we are to execute the most elementary proof of categorical equivalence. We also study the category of C₁-cofinite modules of the generic Virasoro VOA. We show that it is ribbon equivalent to the category of finite-dimensional type I modules of U_q (sl₂) ⊗ U_˜q (sl₂), where q and ˜q are again related to the central charge.