Modular functors from conformal blocks of rational vertex operator algebras

Abstract: For a vertex operator algebra $V$, one may naturally define spaces of conformal blocks following a construction of Frenkel--Ben-Zvi generalized by Damiolini--Gibney--Tarasca. If $V$ is strongly rational, these spaces of conformal blocks form vector bundles over a suitable moduli space of algebraic curves. In this article, we establish, under the same assumptions, the widely expected topological result that the spaces of conformal blocks produce a modular functor, i.e. a modular algebra over an extension of the surface operad. This entails that the category $\mathcal{C}_V$ of admissible $V$-modules inherits from the topology a ribbon Grothendieck--Verdier structure that leads even to the structure of a modular fusion category whose structure comes directly from the spaces of conformal blocks of $V$. As a direct consequence, we prove that the modular functor from conformal blocks extends to a three-dimensional topological field theory and comes with a description in terms of factorization homology.