Weight functions and Drinfeld currents

A universal weight function for a quantum affine algebra is a family of functions with values in a quotient of its Borel subalgebra, satisfying certain coalgebraic properties. In representations of the quantum affine algebra it gives off-shell Bethe vectors and is used in the construction of solutions of the qKZ equations. We construct a universal weight function for each untwisted quantum affine algebra, using projections onto the intersection of Borel subalgebras of different types, and study its functional properties.