Quaternion-Kähler manifolds near maximal fixed point sets of $$S^1$$-symmetries
Abstract Using quaternionic Feix–Kaledin construction, we provide a local classification of quaternion-Kähler metrics with a rotating $$S^1$$S1-symmetry with the fixed point set submanifold S of maximal possible dimension. For any real-analytic Kähler manifold S equipped with a line bundle with a real-analytic unitary connection with curvature proportional to the Kähler form, we explicitly construct a holomorphic contact distribution on the twistor space obtained by the quaternionic Feix–Kaledin construction from these data. Conversely, we show that quaternion-Kähler metrics with a rotating $$S^1$$S1-symmetry induce on the fixed point set of maximal dimension a Kähler metric together with a unitary connection on a holomorphic line bundle with curvature proportional to the Kähler form and the two constructions are inverse to each other. Moreover, we study the case when S is compact, showing that in this case the quaternion-Kähler geometry is determined by the Kähler metric on the fixed point set (of maximal possible dimension) and by the contact line bundle along the corresponding submanifold on the twistor space. Finally, we relate the results to the c-map construction showing that the family of quaternion-Kähler manifolds obtained from a fixed Kähler metric on S by varying the line bundle and the hyperkähler manifold obtained by hyperkähler Feix–Kaledin construction from S are related by hyperkähler/quaternion-Kähler correspondence.