Coordinates adapted to vector fields: canonical coordinates (Q1632241)

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.