On the limit sets of orbits of systems of vector fields (Q1778296)

On a smooth \(n\)-dimensional manifold \(M\) of class \(C^{r+1}\), \(r\geq 0\), one considers a system \(D\) of vector fields of class \(C^{r}\) on \(M\). For \(X\in D\), one denotes by \(X^{t}\) its flow. The orbit of \(D\) through \(x\in M\) is the set \(L(x)\) consisting in all \(y\in M\) for which there exist \(t_{1}, t_{2}, \ldots, t_{k}\in\mathbb R\), and \(X_1,X_2,\ldots, X_k\) in \(D\) such that \(y=X_k^{t_k}(X_{k-1}^{t_{k-1}}(\cdots (X_1^{t_1}(x))\cdots ))\). If \(D\) consists in more than one vector field, then \(L(x)\) is a smooth manifold of class \(C^r\) smoothly immersed in \(M\). The dimensions of orbits \(L(x)\) can vary with \(x\). If all orbits have the same dimension \(0<k<n\), then the set of orbits is a \(k\)-dimensional foliation of \(M\). In the general case, the partition of \(M\) into orbits of \(D\) is called foliation with singularities. Denote by \(F\) such a foliation. The authors are interested in proper leaves \(L\) of \(F\), i.e., orbits for which the canonical inclusion is an embedding. They give necessary and sufficient conditions for an orbit \(L_0\) to be a proper leaf, respectively an improper one. The study of the limit sets of the orbits is related to the problem of the continuity of the multi-mapping \(x\to L(x)\). The authors consider a control problem whose solution is also related to the continuity of the same multi-mapping. More precisely one considers the control system \[ \dot{x}=f(x,u),\quad x\in M,\quad u\in U\subset{\mathbb R}^n, \] where \(U\) is a compact set, and \(f(\cdot,u)\) is \(C^\infty\) for each \(u\in U\). The set of vector fields is \(D=\{f(\cdot,u), u\in U\}\). One proves that if the map \(x\to L(x)\) associated to \(D\) is continuous at \(x_0\), then the given equation is completely controllable on the orbits close to \(L(x_0)\).