Domains of existence of slice regular functions in one quaternionic variable

Abstract: Recently, we introduced domains of slice regularity in the space $\mathbb{H}$ of quaternions and also proved that domains of slice regularity satisfy a symmetry with respect to paths, called $2$-path-symmetry. In this paper, we give a full characterization by showing that all $2$-path-symmetric slice-open sets are domains of slice regularity. In fact, we will prove a counterpart of the Cartan-Thullen theorem for slice regular functions, namely that a slice-open set is a domain of existence for some slice regular function if and only if it is a domain of slice regularity, if and only if it is slice-regularly convex, if and only if it is $2$-path-symmetric. As a tool, we also prove an interpolation theorem of independent interest.