Local controllability of nonlinear systems on surfaces (Q1328462)

The author studies pairs of vector fields on a two-dimensional manifold. Under some technical (generic) assumptions, he proves that there is a stratification given by one stratum of dimension 2, two strata of dimension 1 and three types of strata of dimension zero. The pair of vector fields is not locally controllable on the two-dimensional stratum. It is small time locally controllable on one stratum of dimension 1, and not locally controllable on the other. Finally, the three types of zero- dimensional strata correspond to points where the pair is small time locally controllable, locally controllable but not small time locally controllable and not locally controllable, respectively. These results are applied to single-input and general nonlienar affine control systems in the plane. The approach followed in this paper is basically geometric and does not require strong differentiability assumptions. It is compared with the more classical Lie algebraic approach. The paper includes many examples.