Einstein metrics, hypercomplex structures and the Toda field equation

Abstract

We obtain explicitly all solutions of the SU(infinity) Toda field equation with the property that the associated Einstein-Weyl space admits a 2-sphere of divergence-free shear-free geodesic congruences. The solutions depend on an arbitrary holomorphic function and give rise to new hyperKahler and selfdual Einstein metrics with one dimensional isometry group. These metrics each admit a compatible hypercomplex structure with respect to which the symmetries are triholomorphic.