We show that a 1-parameter family Ricci flow ancient solutions arises from the natural collapsings of the twistor space of positive quaternion Kähler manifolds. We use these ancient solutions to show that a positive quaternion Kähler manifold is isometric to one of the Wolf spaces.
A twistor construction of the hierarchy associated with the hyper-Kähler equations on a metric (the anti-self-dual Einstein vacuum equations, ASDVE, in four dimensions) is given. The recursion operator R is constructed and used to build an infinite-dimensional symmetry algebra and in particular higher flows for the hyper-Kähler equations. It is shown that R acts on the twistor data by multiplication with a rational function. The structures are illustrated by the example of the Sparling-Tod (Eguchi-Hansen) solution. An extended space-time ${\cal N}$ is constructed whose extra dimensions corresp…
We explicitly describe all SO(7)-invariant almost quaternion-Hermitian structures on the twistor space of the six sphere and determine the types of their intrinsic torsion.
In this note, we prove that the CR manifold which is induced from the canonical parabolic geometry of a quaternionic contact (qc) manifold via a Fefferman-type construction is equivalent to the CR twistor space of the qc manifold defined by O. Biquard.
In a general and non metrical framework, we introduce the class of co-CR quaternionic manifolds, which contains the class of quaternionic manifolds, whilst in dimension three it particularizes to give the Einstein-Weyl spaces. We show that these manifolds have a rich natural Twistor Theory and, along the way, we obtain a heaven space construction for quaternionic-Kaehler manifolds.
We characterise, in the setting of the Kodaira-Spencer deformation theory, the twistor spaces of (co-)CR quaternionic manifolds. As an application, we prove that, locally, the leaf space of any nowhere zero quaternionic vector field on a quaternionic manifold is endowed with a natural co-CR quaternionic structure. Also, for any positive integers $k$ and $l$, with $kl$ even, we obtain the geometric objects whose twistorial counterparts are complex manifolds endowed with a conjugation without fixed points and which preserves an embedded Riemann sphere whose normal bundle is $l$ times the line bu…
In a general and non metrical framework, we introduce the class of CR quaternionic manifolds containing the class of quaternionic manifolds, whilst in dimension three it particularizes to, essentially, give the conformal manifolds. We show that these manifolds have a rich natural Twistor Theory and, along the way, we obtain a heaven space construction for quaternionic manifolds.
We briefly review the hierarchy for the hyper-Kähler equations and define a notion of symmetry for solutions of this hierarchy. A four-dimensional hyper-Kähler metric admits a hidden symmetry if it embeds into a hierarchy with a symmetry. It is shown that a hyper-Kähler metric admits a hidden symmetry if it admits a certain Killing spinor. We show that if the hidden symmetry is tri-holomorphic, then this is equivalent to requiring symmetry along a higher time and the hidden symmetry determines a `twistor group' action as introduced by Bielawski \cite{B00}. This leads to a construction for the …
We characterise the integrability of any co-CR quaternionic structure in terms of the curvature and a generalized torsion of the connection. Also, we apply this result to obtain, for example, the following. (1) New co-CR quaternionic structures built on vector bundles over a quaternionic manifold M, whose twistor spaces are holomorphic vector bundles over the twistor space Z of M. Moreover, all the holomorphic vector bundles over Z, which are positive and isotypic when restricted to the twistor lines, are obtained this way. (2) Under generic dimensional conditions, any manifold endowed with an…
We show that the CR structure on the twistor space of a quaternionic contact structure described by Biquard is normal if and only if the Ricci curvature of the Biquard connection commutes with the endomorphisms in the quaternionic structure of the contact distribution.
We first make a little survey of the twistor theory for hypercomplex, generalized hypercomplex, quaternionic or generalized quaternionic manifolds. This last theory was iniated by Pantilie, who shows that any generalized almost quaternionic manifold equipped with an appropriate connection admit a twistor space with an almost generalized complex structure. The aim of this article is to give an integrability criterion for this generalized almost complex structure and to give some examples especially in the case of generalized hyperkähler manifolds using the generalized Bismut connection, introdu…
A hyperkaehler manifold with a circle action fixing just one complex structure admits a natural a hyperholomorphic line bundle. This forms the basis for the construction of a corresponding quaternionic Kaehler manifold in the work of A.Haydys. We construct in this paper the corresponding holomorphic line bundle on twistor space and compute many examples, including monopole and Higgs bundle moduli spaces. We also show that the bundle on twistor space has a natural meromorphic connection which realizes it as the quantum line bundle for the hyperkaehler family of holomorphic symplectic structures…
Motivated by the quaternionic geometry corresponding to the homogeneous complex manifolds endowed with (holomorphically) embedded spheres, we introduce and initiate the study of the `quaternionic-like manifolds'. These contain, as particular subclasses, the CR quaternionic and the $ρ$-quaternionic manifolds. Moreover, the notion of `heaven space' finds its adequate level of generality in this setting: (essentially) any real analytic quaternionic-like manifold admits a (germ) unique heaven space, which is a $ρ$-quaternionic manifold. We, also, give a natural construction of homogeneous complex …
Let $M$ be a quaternionic manifold, $\dim M=4k$, whose twistor space is a Fano manifold. We prove the following: (a) $M$ admits a reduction to $Sp(1) \times GL(k,H)$ if and only if $M=HP^k$, (b) either $b_2(M)=0$ or $M=Gr_2(k+2,C)$. This generalizes results of S. Salamon and C.R. LeBrun, respectively, who obtained the same conclusions under the assumption that $M$ is a complete quaternionic-Kaehler manifold with positive scalar curvature.
For the sake of hyperk{ä}hler SYZ conjecture, finding holomorphic Lagrangian fibrations becomes an important issue. Toric hyperk{ä}hler manifolds are real dimension $4n$ non-compact hyperk{ä}hler manifolds which are quaternion analog of toric varieties. The $n$ dimensional residue circle action on it admitting a hyperk{ä}hler moment map. We use the complex part of this moment map to construct a holomorphic Lagrangian fibration with generic fiber diffeomorphic to $(\mathbb{C}^*)^n$, and study the singular fibers.
The aim of this thesis is to construct new examples of compact orbifolds $\mathcal{O}^4(Θ)$ which admit a self dual Einstein (SDE) metric of positive scalar curvature $s>0$, with a one-dimensional group of isometries. In particular we want to prove that these examples are different from those described by Boyer, Galicki and Piccinni in \emph{$3-$Sasakian geometry, nilpotents orbits, and exeptional quotients}. We construct explicitly our new examples as quaternion-K$\ddot{\mathrm{a}}$hler reductions of the quaternion K$\ddot{\mathrm{a}}$hler Grassmannian $Gr_4(\mathbb{R}^8)$ by an isometric act…
We investigate the integrability of almost complex structures on the twistor space of an almost quaternionic manifold constructed with the help of a quaternionic connection. We show that if there is an integrable structure it is independent on the quaternionic connection. In dimension four, we express the anti-self-duality condition in terms of the Riemannian Ricci forms with respect to the associated quaternionic structure.
The geometry of the quaternionic anti-de Sitter fibration is studied in details. As a consequence, we obtain formulas for the horizontal Laplacian and subelliptic heat kernel of the fibration. The heat kernel formula is explicit enough to derive small time asymptotics. Related twistor spaces and corresponding heat kernels are also discussed and the connection to the quaternionic magnetic Laplacian is done.
We investigate the integrability of natural almost complex structures on the twistor space of an almost para-quaternionic manifold as well as the integrability of natural almost paracomplex structures on the reflector space of an almost para-quaternionic manifold constructed with the help of a para-quaternionic connection. We show that if there is an integrable structure it is independent on the para-quaternionic connection. In dimension four, we express the anti-self-duality condition in terms of the Riemannian Ricci forms with respect to the associated para-quaternionic structure.
In contrast to the classical twistor spaces whose fibres are 2-spheres, we introduce twistor spaces over manifolds with almost quaternionic structures of the second kind in the sense of P. Libermann whose fibres are hyperbolic planes. We discuss two natural almost complex structures on such a twistor space and their holomorphic functions.
We study the Penrose transform for the `quaternionic objects' whose twistor spaces are complex manifolds endowed with locally complete families of embedded Riemann spheres with positive normal bundles.
The theory of slice regular functions of a quaternion variable is applied to the study of orthogonal complex structures on domains Ω of R^4. When Ω is a symmetric slice domain, the twistor transform of such a function is a holomorphic curve in the Klein quadric. The case in which Ω is the complement of a parabola is studied in detail and described by a rational quartic surface in the twistor space CP^3.
In this paper, we define a differential operator as a modified Dirac operator. Using the operator, we introduce a quaternionic $k$-vector field on a quaternionic Kähler manifold and show that any quaternionic $k$-vector field corresponds to a holomorphic $k$-vector field on the twistor space. We calculate the dimension of the space of quaternionic $k$-vector fields on $\mathbb{H}P^n$.
The target space of a (4,0) supersymmetric two-dimensional sigma model with Wess-Zumino term has a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy contained in Sp(n)Sp(1) (resp. Sp(n)), QKT (resp. HKT)-spaces. We study the geometry of QKT, HKT manifold and their twistor spaces. We show that the Swann bundle of a QKT manifold admits a HKT structure with special symmetry if and only if the twistor space of the QKT manifold admits an almost hermitian structure with totally skew-symmetric Nijenhuis tensor, thus connecting two structures arising from quantum field theories and supersymm…
In this paper we introduce the twistor space of a Riemannian manifold with an even Clifford structure. This notion generalizes the twistor space of quaternion-Hermitian manifolds and weak-Spin(9) structures. We also construct almost complex structures on the twistor space for parallel even Clifford structures and check their integrability. Moreover, we prove that in some cases one can give Kähler and Nearly-Kähler metrics to these spaces.
We characterize HKT structure in terms of nondegenrate complex Poisson bivector on hypercomplex manifold. We extend the characterization to the twistor space. After considering the flat case in detail, we show that the twistor space of hyperkaehler manifold admits a holomorphic Poisson structure. We briefly mention the relation to quaternionic and hypercomplex deformations on tori and K3 surfaces
To give an almost quaternionic structure on a 4n-manifold $M$ is equivalent to give its bundle of twistors $Z(Q)\longrightarrow M$. When $Q$ is invariant under a torsion free connection, $Z(Q) $ can be provided with an almost complex structure $ \mathbb J $. In the case $ n = 1 $ Atiyah, Hitchin and Singer have related the integrability of $ \mathbb J $ to the geometry of $ (M, Q) $. For $ n> 1 $ Salamon showed that the almost complex structure $ \mathbb J $ on $ Z (Q) $ is always integrable. The purpose of this article is to extend these results to the generalized complex geometry. We begin b…
We study the moduli space of quaternionic Kaehler structures on a compact manifold of dimension 4n (n>2) from a point of view of Riemannian geometry, not twistor theory. Then we obtain a rigidity theorem for quaternionic Kaehler structures of nonzero scalar curvature by observing the moduli space.
We introduce the notion of tame $ρ$-quaternionic manifold that permits the construction of a finite family of $ρ$-connections, significant for the geometry involved. This provides, for example, the following: (1) a new simple global characterisation of flat (complex-)quaternionic manifolds, and (2) a new simple construction of the metric and the corresponding Levi-Civita connection of a quaternionic-Kähler manifold by starting from its twistor space; moreover, our method provides a natural generalization of this correspondence. Also, a new construction of quaternionic manifolds is obtained, an…
In the present paper we introduce the class of slice-polynomial functions: slice regular functions {defined over the quaternions, outside the real axis,} whose restriction to any complex half-plane is a polynomial. These functions naturally emerge in the twistor interpretation of slice regularity introduced in \cite{gensalsto} and developed in \cite{AAtwistor}. To any slice-polynomial function $P$ we associate its {\em companion} $P^\vee$ and its {\em extension} to the real axis $P_\mathbb{R}$, that are quaternionic functions naturally related to $P$. Then, using the theory of twistor spaces, …
Almost para-quaternionic structures on smooth manifolds of dimension $2n$ are equivalent to almost Grassmannian structures of type $(2,n)$. We remind the equivalence and exhibit some interrelations between subjects that were previously studied independently from the para-quaternionic and the Grassmannian point of view. In particular, we relate the respective normalization conditions, distinguished curves and twistor constructions.
Toric hyperk{ä}hler manifolds are quaternion analog of toric varieties. Bielawski pointed out that they can be glued by cotangent bundles of toric varieties. Following his idea, viewing both toric varieties and toric hyperk{ä}her manifolds as GIT quotients, we first establish geometrical criteria for the semi-stable points. Then based on these criteria, we show that the cotangent bundles of compact toric varieties in the core of toric hyperk{ä}hler manifold are sufficient to glue the desired toric hyperk{ä}hler manifold.
We initiate the study of the generalized quaternionic manifolds by classifying the generalized quaternionic vector spaces, and by giving two classes of nonclassical examples of such manifolds. Thus, we show that any complex symplectic manifold is endowed with a natural (nonclassical) generalized quaternionic structure, and the same applies to the heaven space of any three-dimensional Einstein-Weyl space. In particular, on the product $Z$ of any complex symplectic manifold $M$ and the sphere there exists a natural generalized complex structure, with respect to which $Z$ is the twistor space of …
We give an overview of some recent results in hypersymplectic and para-quaternionic Kahler geometry, and introduce the notion of split three-Sasakian manifold. In particular, we discuss the twistor spaces and Swann bundles of para-quaternionic Kahler manifolds. These are used to classify examples with a fully homogeneous action of a semi-simple Lie group, and to construct distinct para-quaternionic Kahler metrics from indefinite real analytic conformal manifolds. We also indicate how the theory of toric varieties gives rise to constructions of hypersymplectic manifolds.
We extend the twistor methods developed in our earlier work on linear deformations of hyperkahler manifolds [arXiv:0806.4620] to the case of quaternionic-Kahler manifolds. Via Swann's construction, deformations of a 4d-dimensional quaternionic-Kahler manifold $M$ are in one-to-one correspondence with deformations of its $4d+4$-dimensional hyperkahler cone $S$. The latter can be encoded in variations of the complex symplectomorphisms which relate different locally flat patches of the twistor space $Z_S$, with a suitable homogeneity condition that ensures that the hyperkahler cone property is pr…
Four-dimensional quaternion-Kahler metrics, or equivalently self-dual Einstein spaces M, are known to be encoded locally into one real function h subject to Przanowski's Heavenly equation. We elucidate the relation between this description and the usual twistor description for quaternion-Kahler spaces. In particular, we show that the same space M can be described by infinitely many different solutions h, associated to different complex (local) submanifolds on the twistor space, and therefore to different (local) integrable complex structures on M. We also study quaternion-Kahler deformations o…
Quaternion-Kaehler four-manifolds, or equivalently anti-self-dual Einstein manifolds, are locally determined by one scalar function subject to Przanowski's equation. Using twistorial methods we construct a Lax Pair for Przanowski's equation, confirming its integrability. The Lee form of a compatible local complex structure, which one can always find, gives rise to a conformally invariant differential operator acting on sections of a line bundle. Special cases of the associated generalised Laplace operator are the conformal Laplacian and the linearised Przanowski operator. We provide recursion …
We compute the hessian of the natural Hermitian form successively on the Calabi family of a hyperkähler manifold, on the twistor space of a 4-dimensional anti-self-dual Riemannian manifold and on the twistor space of a quaternionic Kähler manifold. We show a strong convexity property of the cycle space of twistor lines on the Calabi family of a hyperkähler manifold. We also prove convexity properties of the 1-cycle space of the twistor space of a 4-dimensional anti-self-dual Einstein manifold of non-positive scalar curvature and of the 1-cycle space of the twistor space of a quaternionic Kähle…
A hypercomplex structure on a differentiable manifold consists of three integrable almost complex structures that satisfy quaternionic relations. If, in addition, there exists a metric on the manifold which is Hermitian with respect to the three structures, and such that the corresponding Hermitian forms are closed, the manifold is said to be hyperkaehler. In the paper "Non-Hermitian Yang-Mills connections", Kaledin and Verbitsky proved that the twistor space of a hyperkaehler manifold admits a balanced metric; these were first studied in the article "On the existence of special metrics in com…
It is very well known that Hopf real hypersurfaces in the complex projective space can be locally characterized as tubes over complex submanifolds. This also holds true for some, but not all, Hopf real hypersurfaces in the complex hyperbolic space. The main goal of this paper is to show, in a unified way, how to construct Hopf real hypersurfaces in the complex hyperbolic space from a horizontal submanifold in one of the three twistor spaces of the indefinite complex $2$-plane Grassmannian with respect to the natural para-quaternionic Kähler structure. We also identify these twistor spaces with…
We consider the unique Hermitian connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion on a Hermitian manifold. We prove that if the torsion is parallel and the holonomy is Sp(n)U(1), considered as a subgroup of U(2n) x U(1), then the manifold is locally isomorphic to the twistor space of a quaternionic Kaehler manifold with positive scalar curvature. If the manifold is complete, then it is globally isomorphic to such a twistor space.
Motivated by black hole physics in N=2, D=4 supergravity, we study the geometry of quaternionic-Kahler manifolds M obtained by the c-map construction from projective special Kahler manifolds M_s. Improving on earlier treatments, we compute the Kahler potentials on the twistor space Z and Swann space S in the complex coordinates adapted to the Heisenberg symmetries. The results bear a simple relation to the Hesse potential Σof the special Kahler manifold M_s, and hence to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy for BPS black holes. We explicitly construct the ``covariant c-map'' and the ``twistor map'',…
In this expository paper we review some twistor techniques and recall the problem of finding compact differentiable manifolds that can carry both Kähler and non-Kähler complex structures. Such examples were constructed independently by M. Atiyah, A. Blanchard and E. Calabi in the $1950$'s. In the $1980$'s V. Tsanov gave an example of a simply connected manifold that admits both Kähler and non-Kähler complex structures - the twistor space of a $K3$ surface. Here we show that the quaternion twistor space of a hyperkähler manifold has the same property.
Using quaternionic Feix--Kaledin construction we provide a local classification of quaternion-Kähler metrics with a rotating $S^1$-symmetry with the fixed point set submanifold $S$ of maximal possible dimension. For any Kähler manifold $S$ equipped with a line bundle with a unitary connection of curvature proportional to the Kähler form we explicitly construct a holomorphic contact distribution on the twistor space obtained by the quaternionic Feix-Kaledin construction from this data. Conversely, we show that quaternion-Kähler metrics with a rotating $S^1$-symmetry induce on the fixed point se…
A universal lower bound for the first positive eigenvalue of the Dirac operator on a compact quaternionic Kaehler manifold M of positive scalar curvature is calculated. It is shown that it is equal to the first positive eigenvalue on the quaternionic projective space. For this, the horizontal tangent bundle on the canonical SO(3)-bundle over M is equipped with a hyperkaehlerian structure and the corresponding splitting of the horizontal spinor bundle is considered. The desired estimate is obtained by looking at hyperkaehlerian twistor operators on horizontal spinors.
Let Z be a compact complex (2n+1)-manifold which carries a {\em complex contact structure}, meaning a codimension-1 holomorphic sub-bundle D of TZ which is maximally non-integrable. If Z admits a Kähler-Einstein metric of positive scalar curvature, we show that it is the Salamon twistor space of a quaternion-Kähler manifold (M^{4n}, g). If Z also admits a second complex contact structure, then Z= CP_{2n+1}. As an application, we give several new characterizations of the Riemannian manifold HP_n=Sp(n+1)/( Sp(n)\times Sp(1)).
Firstly we give a condition to split off the K"ahler factor from a nearly pseudo-K"ahler manifold and apply this to get a structure result in dimension 8. Secondly we extend the construction of nearly K"ahler manifolds from twistor spaces to negatively curved quaternionic K"ahler manifolds and para-quaternionic K"ahler manifolds. The class of nearly pseudo-K"ahler manifolds obtained from this construction is characterized by a holonomic condition. The combination of these results enables us to give a classification result in (real) dimension 10. Moreover, we show that a strict nearly pseudo-K"…
We consider complete nearly Kähler manifolds with the canonical Hermitian connection. We prove some metric properties of strict nearly Kähler manifolds and give a sufficient condition for the reducibility of the canonical Hermitian connection. A holonomic condition for a nearly Kähler manifold to be a twistor space over a quaternionic Kähler manifold is given. This enables us to give classification results in 10-dimensions.
We find that the target space of two-dimensional (4,0) supersymmetric sigma models with torsion coupled to (4,0) supergravity is a QKT manifold, that is, a quaternionic Kähler manifold with torsion. We give four examples of geodesically complete QKT manifolds one of which is a generalisation of the LeBrun geometry. We then construct the twistor space associated with a QKT manifold and show that under certain conditions it is a Kähler manifold with a complex contact structure. We also show that, for every 4k-dimensional QKT manifold, there is an associated 4(k+1)-dimensional hyper-Kähler one.
We show that the geometry of $4n$-dimensional quaternionic Kähler spaces with a locally free $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$-action admits a Gibbons-Hawking-like description based on the Galicki-Lawson notion of quaternionic Kähler moment map. This generalizes to higher dimensions a four-dimensional construction, due to Calderbank and Pedersen, of self-dual Einstein manifolds with two linearly independent commuting Killing vector fields. As an application, we use this new Ansatz to give an explicit equivariant completion of the twistor space construction of the local c-map proposed by Roček, Vafa and Vando…
We produce new non-Kähler complete steady gradient Ricci solitons whose asymptotics combine those of the Bryant solitons and the Hamilton cigar. We also obtain a family of complete Ricci-flat metrics with asymptotically locally conical asymptotics. Finally, we obtain numerical evidence for complete steady soliton structures on the vector bundles whose distance sphere bundles are respectively the twistor and ${\rm Sp}(1)$ bundles over quaternionic projective space.
Let $S$ be a smooth rational curve on a complex manifold $M$. It is called ample if its normal bundle is positive. We assume that $M$ is covered by smooth holomorphic deformations of $S$. The basic example of such a manifold is a twistor space of a hyperkahler or a 4-dimensional anti-selfdual Riemannian manifold $X$ (not necessarily compact). We prove "a holography principle" for such a manifold: any meromorphic function defined in a neighbourhood $U$ of $S$ can be extended to $M$, and any section of a holomorphic line bundle can be extended from $U$ to $M$. This is used to define the notion o…
Penrose's two-spinor notation for $4$-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds can be extended to two-component notation for quaternionic manifolds, which is a very useful tool for calculation. We construct a family of quaternionic complexes over unimodular quaternionic manifolds by elementary calculation. On complex quaternionic manifolds, which are essentially the complexification of real analytic quaternionic Kähler manifolds, the existence of these complexes was established by Baston by using twistor transformations and spectral sequences. Unimodular quaternionic manifolds constitute a nice and la…
We produce new non-Kähler, non-Einstein, complete expanding gradient Ricci solitons with conical asymptotics and underlying manifold of the form $\R^2 \times M_2 \times \cdots \times M_r$, where $r \geq 2$ and $M_i$ are arbitrary closed Einstein spaces with positive scalar curvature. We also find numerical evidence for complete expanding solitons on the vector bundles whose sphere bundles are the twistor or ${\rm Sp}(1)$ bundles over quaternionic projective space.