The mini-superspace limit of the SL(2,C/SU(2)-WZNW model Original Research Article

Many qualitatively new features of WZNW models associated to non-compact cosets are due to zero-modes with continuous spectrum. Insight may be gained by reducing the theory to its zero-mode sector, the mini-superspace limit. This will be discussed in some detail for the example of SL(2,C)/SU(2)-WZNW model. The mini-superspace limit of this model can be formulated as baby-CFT. Spectrum, structure constants and fusion rules as well as factorization of four-point functions are obtained from the harmonic analysis on SL(2,C)/SU(2). The issues of operator-state correspondence or the appearance of non-normalizable intermediate states in correlation functions can be discussed transparently in this context.