A family of heavenly metrics

Abstract

This is a corrected and essentially extended version of the unpublished manuscript by Y Nutku and M Sheftel which contains new results. It is proposed to be published in honour of Y Nutku’s memory. All corrections and new results in sections 1, 2 and 4 are due to M Sheftel. We present new anti-self-dual exact solutions of the Einstein field equations with Euclidean and neutral (ultra-hyperbolic) signatures that admit only one rotational Killing vector. Such solutions of the Einstein field equations are determined by non-invariant solutions of Boyer–Finley (BF) equation. For the case of Euclidean signature such a solution of the BF equation was first constructed by Calderbank and Tod. Two years later, Martina, Sheftel and Winternitz applied the method of group foliation to the BF equation and reproduced the Calderbank–Tod solution together with new solutions for the neutral signature. In the case of Euclidean signature we obtain new metrics which asymptotically locally look like a flat space and have a non-removable singular point at the origin. In the case of ultra-hyperbolic signature there exist three inequivalent forms of metric. Only one of these can be obtained by analytic continuation from the Calderbank–Tod solution whereas the other two are new.