Remarks on global sub-Lorentzian geometry (Q390262)

A sub-semi-Riemannian manifold is a triplet \((M,H,g)\) where \(M\) is a smooth, connected, and paracompact manifold, \(H\) is a smooth bracket generating distribution of constant rank on \(M\) and \(g\) is a semi-Riemannian metric on \(H\). The index of a metric \(g\) at a point \(x\) is the maximal dimension of all linear subspaces in \(H_x\) on which \(g_x=g_{\mid H_x\times H_x}\) is negative definite. If the index of \(g\) is equal to 1 then \(g\) is a Lorentzian metric, \((H,g)\) is called a sub-Lorentzian metric on \(M\), and \((M,H,g)\) is a sub-Lorentzian manifold. In this paper, the author presents an adaptation to the fiber bundle setting of the decomposition result for indefinite metrics and gives the proof in the real analytical case. Using the result of Sussman on global spanning of distribution, some global facts on sub-Lorentzian manifolds are proved. A global control system describing nonspacelike curves is given and controllability properties in the case of compact manifolds are studied.