The twistor construction and Penrose transform in split signature (Q2454924): Difference between revisions

The usual twistor construction provides a complex structure on \(Z:=\mathbb R^4\times\mathbb C\mathbb P^1\). The projection \(Z\to\mathbb C\mathbb P^1\) is holomorphic and the Penrose transform provides a canonical isomorphism from \(H^1(Z,L)\) to the space of complex-valued harmonic functions on \(\mathbb R^4\), where \(L\) is the pullback of the bundle of holomorphic \(1\)-forms on \(\mathbb C\mathbb P^1\). If \(\mathbb R^4\) is endowed with a quadratic form of split signature \((++- -)\), a parallel construction gives a cohomological description of the solution of the ultrahyperbolic wave equation on \(\mathbb R^4\). In this case \(Z\) is no longer a complex manifold but is equipped with an involutive structure which is locally integrable in the sense of \textit{M.~S.~Baouendi} and \textit{F.~Treves} [Ann. Math. (2) 113, No. 2, 387--421 (1981; Zbl 0491.35036)]. In this paper, the author reviews the construction of \(Z\) in the Euclidean case using the quaternions and then describes the changes needed in the split case, the main one being the replacement of the quaternions by the split quaternions (defined by \(i^2=-1\), \(j^2=1\), \(ij=-ji=k\)). The split Penrose transform arises from noting that an analogue of the Dolbeault complex can be defined giving rise to a cohomology group \(H^1_{\overline\partial}(Z,L)\); the same argument as in the Euclidean case shows that this space is isomorphic to the space of smooth functions \(f:Z\to\mathbb C\) such that \(\big({\partial^2\over{\partial p^2}}+{\partial^2\over{\partial q^2}}-{\partial^2\over{\partial r^2}}-{\partial^2\over{\partial s^2}}\big)f=0\). In the final section the author shows that the twistor fibration \(\mathbb C\mathbb P^3\to S^4\) can be modified in the split case, where one obtains a fibration \(F\to \text{ Gr}_2(\mathbb R^4)\), where \(F\) is the real blow-up of \(\mathbb C\mathbb P^3\) along \(\mathbb C\mathbb P^3\) and has an involutive structure extending the complex structure on \(\mathbb C\mathbb P^3-\mathbb R\mathbb P^3\) (for details, see the author and \textit{C.~R.~Graham} [Commun. Anal. Geom. 7, No. 3, 609--622 (1999; Zbl 0939.32032)]). The Penrose transform in this case is due to the author and \textit{T.~N.~Bailey}, and further details may be found in [Proceedings of the 16th Winter School on geometry and physics, Srni, Czech Republic, January 13--20, 1996. Palermo: Circolo Matematico di Palermo, Suppl. Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo, II. Ser. 46, 55--71 (1997; Zbl 0902.53047)].