Foliations and polynomial diffeomorphisms of \(\mathbb R^3\) (Q1022331)

\(Y=(f,g,h):\mathbb R^3\to\mathbb R^3\) is a \(C^2\) map and for \(p\in\mathbb R^3\), \(\text{Spec}(Y)\) is the set of (complex) eigenvalues of the derivative \(DY_p\). The inverse function theorem implies that if for all \(p\in\mathbb R^3\) the derivative \(DY_p\) is non-singular (that is, if \(0\notin \text{Spec}(Y)\)), then for each \(k\in \{f,g,h\}\), the level surfaces \(\{k=\text{const.}\}\) constitute a codimension-one \(C^2\) foliation \({\mathcal F}(k)\) of \(\mathbb R^3\). The authors first prove the following: Theorem: If for some \(\varepsilon >0\), \(\text{Spec}(Y)\cap (-\varepsilon,\varepsilon)=\emptyset\), then the foliation \({\mathcal F}(k)\) is a foliation by planes. As a consequence, the authors prove a special case of a conjecture made by Z. Jelonek stating that if \(Y:\mathbb R^n\to\mathbb R^n\) is a real polynomial mapping with nonzero Jacobian everywhere and if the set \((S_Y)\) of points where \(Y\) is not proper has a codimension \(\geq 2\), then \(Y\) is a bijection (and therefore \(S_y\) is empty). The authors also obtain the following: Theorem: Let \(Y=(f,g,h):\mathbb R^3\to\mathbb R^3\) be a polynomial map such that \(\text{Spec}(Y)\cap [0,\varepsilon)=\emptyset\) for some \(\varepsilon >0\). If \(\text{codim}(S_Y)\geq 2\), then \(Y\) is a bijection.