Singular self-dual Zollfrei metrics and twistor correspondence (Q886337)

A Zollfrei metric on a smooth manifold \(M\) is an indefinite metric whose null geodesics are all closed. The most interesting case is that of neutral metrics on 4-manifolds, especially \(S^2\times S^2\) which was studied by LeBrun and Mason in [math.DG/0504582] and the present paper generalizes their work to singular cases. Section 2 of the paper describes in nice detail the twistor correspondence for \(S^2\) and \(S^2\times S^2\) which is identified with \(\widetilde{\text{Gr}}_2({\mathbb R}^4)\), the Grassmannian of oriented 2-planes in \({\mathbb R}^4\). The twistor space is determined by a pair \(({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3,P)\) where \(P\) is the image of a totally real embedding \(\iota:{\mathbb R}{\mathbb P}^3\rightarrow{\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3\) or \(\iota:{\mathbb R}{\mathbb P}^3-\{y_0\}\rightarrow{\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3\) in the singular setting of the paper. The pair \(({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3,P)\) is said to satisfy condition (\#) if there is a unique family of holomorphic disks in \(({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3,P)\) with boundaries on \(P\) which satisfy (\#1) the relative homology class of each disk generates \(H_2({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3,P;{\mathbb Z})\), (\#2) interiors of these disks foliate \({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3-P\) and the disks which do not contain \(y_0\) form a smooth family. A \(\beta\)-surface is a maximal embedded surface \(C\) whose tangent plane at each point is a null 2-plane whose bivector is anti-self-dual. The notion of a singular \(\beta\)-surface is defined. The author makes a couple of conjectures. First for a singular self-dual Zollfrei metric on \(M\) with a singular \(\beta\)-surface \(C\) and any \(\beta\)-surface \(S\) in \(M-C\) with closure \(\overline S\) in \(M\), \(\overline S-S\) is a finite subset of \(C\) and \(\overline S\) is a topological manifold. Secondly, there is a natural one-to-one correspondence between equivalence classes of singular self-dual Zollfrei conformal structures on \(S^2\times S^2\) with one singular \(\beta\)-surface \(C\simeq S^2\), and equivalence classes of the pairs \(({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3,P)\) which satisfy (\#), where \(P\) is the image of a totally real embedding \({\mathbb R}{\mathbb P}^3\rightarrow{\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3\) which has one singular point. Let \({\mathcal S}({\mathbb R}^2)^{\text{sym}}\) denote the set of real valued, rapidly decreasing , axisymmetric functions. Using rapidly decreasing Peatean's metrics on \({\mathbb R}^4\) the author shows that each singular self-dual Zollfrei conformal structure on \(\widetilde{\text{Gr}}_2({\mathbb R}^4)\) corresponds to a function \(f\in{\mathcal S}({\mathbb R}^2)^{\text{sym}}\) and that in this case the first conjecture holds. The author then goes on to his second conjecture and shows that there is a natural one-to-one correspondence between singular self-dual Zollfrei conformal structures on \(\widetilde{\text{Gr}}_2({\mathbb R}^4)\) corresponding functions \(f\in{\mathcal S}({\mathbb R}^2)^{\text{sym}}\) and pairs \(({\mathbb C}{\mathbb P}^3,\widehat P)\) corresponding \(h\in i{\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})^{\text{odd}}\) which satisfy certain properties. The paper is quite technical in nature and not all the necessary definitions and notations can be given in this review. The paper continues with further discussion and is quite explicit in its presentation.