Sub-twistor metrics

Abstract: We consider a natural distance function on the period space of a hyperk\"ahler manifold associated to non-holonomic constraints imposed by twistor lines. These metrics were introduced by Verbitsky in the context of the global Torelli theorem for hyperk\"aler manifolds. We show that they are Finsler and explicitly describe their Finsler norms. To achieve this goal we consider a class of distance functions (called here sub-conic metrics) that slightly generalize sub-Riemann metrics. The main technical result is the statement that every sub-conic metric is sub-Finsler. The content and methods of the paper lie within basic metric geometry. The complex geometrical background and motivation are isolated in the appendix.