Hochschild cohomology and deformations of $\mathbb{P}$-functors

Abstract: Given a split $\mathbb{P}$-functor $F:\mathcal{D}^b(X) \to \mathcal{D}^b(Y)$ between smooth projective varieties, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions, in terms of the Hochschild cohomology of $X$, for it to become spherical on the total space of a deformation of $Y$, and explain how the spherical twist becomes the $\mathbb{P}$-twist on the special fibre. These results generalise the object case, that is when $X$ is a point, which was studied previously by Huybrechts and Thomas, and we show how they apply to the $\mathbb{P}$-functor associated to the Hilbert scheme of points on a K3 surface. In the appendix we review and reorganise some technical results due to Toda, relating to the interaction of Atiyah classes, the HKR-isomorphism, and the characteristic morphism.