Isometries of almost-Riemannian structures on Lie groups (Q1792429)

An almost Riemannian structure (ARS) is a manifold \(M\) endowed with a symmetric tensor field \(g\) that fails to be regular at a certain nowhere dense subset \({\mathcal Z}\subset M\). The ARS's on an \(n\)-dimensional Lie group \(G\) considered in this paper are given by a set \(\{Y_1,\ldots,Y_{n-1}\}\) of left-invariant vector fields and a linear vector field \(X\) (i.e., an infinitesimal automorphism) such that \(\{X,Y_1,\ldots,Y_{n-1}\}\) at points not in \({\mathcal Z}\) form an orthonormal frame for \(g\). Moreover, the vector fields \(Y_1,\ldots,Y_{n-1}\) and their commutators are assumed to span the whole tangent bundle. Consequently, together with \(g\) the \((n-1)\)-dimensional distribution \(H\) spanned by \(\{Y_1,\ldots,Y_{n-1}\}\) defines a sub-Riemannian structure. In Section 2 the authors consider basic notions and properties, so for instance the singular locus \({\mathcal Z}\) of such ARSs. They single out cases when it is a submanifold or a subgroup. The group of isometries of such ARSs is studied. It can not act transitively since isometries preserve \({\mathcal Z}\). In Section 3 some general facts about isometries between two ARSs on a group \(G\) are given. Under such isometries the singular loci as well as the zero sets of their linear vector fields are mapped into each other. Two isometries that preserve \(e\) and whose tangent maps at \(e\) agree are identical. On a nilpotent group isometries preserving \(e\) are automorphisms. Based on these results, in the remaining part of the paper, for the 3-dimensional Heisenberg group and for the group of affine transformations of \({\mathbb R}^2\) a classification of such ARSs is given.