From Jack polynomials to minimal model spectra

In this note, a deep connection between free field realizations of conformal field theories and symmetric polynomials is presented. We give a brief introduction into the necessary prerequisites of both free field realizations and symmetric polynomials, in particular Jack symmetric polynomials. Then we combine these two fields to classify the irreducible representations of the minimal model vertex operator algebras as an illuminating example of the power of these methods. While these results on the representation theory of the minimal models are all known, this note exploits the full power of Jack polynomials to present significant simplifications of the original proofs in the literature. (paper)