English

Analytic Functions of a Quaternionic Variable

Functional Analysis 2008-04-02 v2 Complex Variables

Abstract

Here we follow the basic analysis that is common for real and complex variables and find how it can be applied to a quaternionic variable. Non-commutativity of the quaternion algebra poses obstacles for the usual manipulations; but we show how many of those obstacles can be overcome. After a tiny bit of linear algebra we look at the beginnings of differential calculus. The surprising result is that the first order term in the expansion of F(x+delta) is a compact formula involving both F'(x) and [F(x) - F(x*)]/(x-x*).

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0803.3782,
  title  = {Analytic Functions of a Quaternionic Variable},
  author = {Charles Schwartz},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0803.3782},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

8 pages; added references and added Appendix B on SU(2)

R2 v1 2026-06-21T10:24:42.909Z