On the centralizer of diffeomorphisms of the half-line (Q633009)

Suppose \(f\) is a smooth diffeomorphism of \([0,\infty)\) with only the origin as a fixed point. This paper studies \(Z^r_f\), the centralizer of \(f\) in the group \(D^r\) of \(C^r\) diffeomorphisms of \([0,\infty)\). \(Z^1_f\) is a one-parameter subgroup of \(D^1\) by results of \textit{G. Szekeres} [``Regular iteration of real and complex functions'', Acta Math. 100, 203--258 (1958; Zbl 0145.07903)] and \textit{N. Kopell} [``Commuting diffeomorphisms'', Global Analysis, Proc. Sympos. Pure Math. 14, 165--184 (1970; Zbl 0225.57020)]. \textit{F. Takens} [``Normal forms for certain singularities of vectorfields'', Ann. Inst. Fourier 23, No. 2, 163--195 (1973; Zbl 0266.34046)] showed that if \(f\) is not infinitely tangent to the identity at 0, then \(Z^\infty_f=Z^1_f\) (\(Z^\infty_f\) is as large as possible). In contrast, \textit{F. Sergeraert} [``Feuilletage et difféomorphismes infiniment tangents à l'identité'', Invent. Math. 39, 253--275 (1977; Zbl 0327.58004)] exhibited an \(f\) such that for \(2 \leq r \leq \infty\), \(Z^r_f\) reduces to the infinite cyclic group generated by \(f\) (\(Z^r_f\) is as small as possible). Theorem A of the paper reviewed here shows that there exists an \(f\) such that for \(2 \leq r \leq \infty\), \(Z^r_f\) is a proper dense uncountable subgroup of \(Z^1_f\). That is, for \(r \geq 2\), the size of \(Z^r_f\) can lie between the extremes. Theorem B shows under some conditions that this type of occurrence of \(Z^r_f\) is not exceptional.