On a definition of logarithm of quaternionic functions

For a slice--regular quaternionic function $f,$ the classical exponential function $\exp f$ is not slice--regular in general. An alternative definition of exponential function, the $*$-exponential $\exp_*$, was given: if $f$ is a slice--regular function, then $\exp_*(f)$ is a slice--regular function as well. The study of a $*$-logarithm $\log_*(f)$ of a slice--regular function $f$ becomes of great interest for basic reasons, and is performed in this paper. The main result shows that the existence of such a $\log_*(f)$ depends only on the structure of the zero set of the vectorial part $f_v$ of the slice--regular function $f=f_0+f_v$, besides the topology of its domain of definition. We also show that, locally, every slice--regular nonvanishing function has a $*$-logarithm and, at the end, we present an example of a nonvanishing slice--regular function on a ball which does not admit a $*$-logarithm on that ball.