Twistor theory at fifty: from contour integrals to twistor strings

Abstract

We review aspects of twistor theory, its aims and achievements spanning thelast five decades. In the twistor approach, space--time is secondary with events being derived objects that correspond to compact holomorphic curves in a complex three--fold -- the twistor space. After giving an elementary construction of this space we demonstrate how solutions to linear and nonlinear equations of mathematical physics: anti-self-duality (ASD) equations on Yang--Mills, or conformal curvature can be encoded into twistor cohomology. These twistor correspondences yield explicit examples of Yang--Mills, and gravitational instantons which we review. They also underlie the twistor approach to integrability: the solitonic systems arise as symmetry reductions of ASD Yang--Mills equations, and Einstein--Weyl dispersionless systems are reductions of ASD conformal equations. We then review the holomorphic string theories in twistor and ambitwistor spaces, and explain how these theories give rise to remarkable new formulae for the computation of quantum scattering amplitudes. Finally we discuss the Newtonian limit of twistor theory, and its possible role in Penrose's proposal for a role of gravity in quantum collapse of a wave function.

Minor corrections, and additional references. Final version, to appear in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A. 49 pages, 6 Figures. Dedicated to Roger Penrose and Nick Woodhouse at 85 and 67 years

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• Tractor geometry of asymptotically flat spacetimes
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• The character map in (twisted differential) non-abelian cohomology
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• Integrability of anti-self-dual vacuum Einstein equations with nonzero cosmological constant: an infinite hierarchy of nonlocal conservation laws