Coordinates adapted to vector fields: canonical coordinates

DOI10.1007/S00039-018-0469-4MaRDI QIDQ1632241zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Betsy Stovall, Brian Street

Publication date 13 December 2018

Published in Geometric and Functional Analysis. GAFA (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.04528

zbMATH Keywords

real analyticitysub-Riemannian geometryZygmund regularity

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Sub-Riemannian geometry (53C17) Differentiable structures in differential topology (57R55) Vector distributions (subbundles of the tangent bundles) (58A30)

Abstract: Given a finite collection of $C^1$ vector fields on a $C^2$ manifold which span the tangent space at every point, we consider the question of when there is locally a coordinate system in which these vector fields have a higher level of smoothness. For example, when is there a coordinate system in which the vector fields are smooth, or real analytic, or have Zygmund regularity of some finite order? We address this question in a quantitative way, which strengthens and generalizes previous works on the quantitative theory of sub-Riemannian (aka Carnot-Carath'eodory) geometry due to Nagel, Stein, and Wainger, Tao and Wright, the second author, and others. Furthermore, we provide a diffeomorphism invariant version of these theories. This is the first part in a three part series of papers. In this paper, we study a particular coordinate system adapted to a collection of vector fields (sometimes called canonical coordinates) and present results related to the above questions which are not quite sharp; these results from the backbone of the series. The methods of this paper are based on techniques from ODEs. In the second paper, we use additional methods from PDEs to obtain the sharp results. In the third paper, we prove results concerning real analyticity and use methods from ODEs.

Review text

The authors consider a special coordinate system adapted to a collection of vector fields on a \(C^2\)-manifold which span the tangent space at every point. They obtain results related to the conditions under which these vector fields are smooth, or real analytic, or have Zygmund regularity of some finite order. By using ODE techniques, the authors give here a diffeomorphism invariant version of some previous results obtained by the second author, \textit{A. Nagel} et al. [Acta Math. 155, 103--147 (1985; Zbl 0578.32044)], \textit{T. Tao} and \textit{J. Wright} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 16, No. 3, 605--638 (2003; Zbl 1080.42007)] on the quantitative theory of sub-Riemannian (Carnot-Carathéodory) geometry. The paper under review is the first from a series of three papers. The results provided in this paper are one derivative short of being optimal. Optimal regularity results in terms of Zgymund spaces are obtained in the second paper [\textit{B. Street}, ``Coordinates adapted to vector fields. II: Sharp results, Preprint, \url{arXiv:1808.04159}], by using PDE methods, which are not applicable to the real analytic setting. That is why, in the third paper [\textit{B. Street}, ``Coordinates adapted to vector fields. III: Real analyticity, Preprint, \url{arXiv:1808.04635}], the author uses ODE technics to obtain real analyticity results.

Recommendations

• Coordinates adapted to vector fields. III: Real analyticity
• Coordinates adapted to vector fields. II: Sharp results
• Sub-Riemannian geometry for vector fields of minimal smoothness
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• Improving the regularity of vector fields

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Cited in

(11)

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