Spectral flow for minimal $W$-algebras and application to unitarity of their representations

Abstract: Using spectral flow, we provide a proof of [9, Theorem 9.17] on unitarity of Ramond twisted non-extremal representations of minimal $W$-algebras that does not rely on the still conjectural exactness of the twisted quantum reduction functor (see Conjecture 9.11 of [9]). When $\mathfrak g=spo(2|2n)$, $F(4)$, $D(2,1;\frac{m}{n})$, it is also proven that the unitarity of extremal (=massless) representations of the minimal $W$-algebra $W^k_{\min}(\mathfrak g)$ in the Ramond sector is equivalent to the unitarity of extremal representations in the Neveu-Schwarz sector.