Introducing Quaternionic Gerbes

Abstract

The notion of a quaternionic gerbe is presented as a new way of bundling algebraic structures over a four manifold. The structure groupoid of this fibration is described in some detail. The Euclidean conformal group R*SO(4) appears naturally as a (non-commutative) monoidal structure on this groupoid. Using this monoidal structure we indicate the existence of a canonical quaternionic gerbe associated to a conformal structure on a four manifold.