Twistor interpretation of slice regular functions

Abstract

Given a slice regular function $f:\Omega\subset\mathbb{H}\to \mathbb{H}$, with $\Omega\cap\mathbb{R}\neq \emptyset$, it is possible to lift it to a surface in the twistor space $\mathbb{CP}^{3}$ of $\mathbb{S}^4\simeq \mathbb{H}\cup \{\infty\}$ (see~\cite{gensalsto}). In this paper we show that the same result is true if one removes the hypothesis $\Omega\cap\mathbb{R}\neq \emptyset$ on the domain of the function $f$. Moreover we find that if a surface $\mathcal{S}\subset\mathbb{CP}^{3}$ contains the image of the twistor lift of a slice regular function, then $\mathcal{S}$ has to be ruled by lines. Starting from these results we find all the projective classes of algebraic surfaces up to degree 3 in $\mathbb{CP}^{3}$ that contain the lift of a slice regular function. In addition we extend and further explore the so-called twistor transform, that is a curve in $\mathbb{G}r_2(\mathbb{C}^4)$ which, given a slice regular function, returns the arrangement of lines whose lift carries on. With the explicit expression of the twistor lift and of the twistor transform of a slice regular function we exhibit the set of slice regular functions whose twistor transform describes a rational line inside $\mathbb{G}r_2(\mathbb{C}^4)$, showing the role of slice regular functions not defined on $\mathbb{R}$. At the end we study the twistor lift of a particular slice regular function not defined over the reals. This example shows the effectiveness of our approach and opens some questions.