Degenerate abnormal trajectories in a sub-Riemannian problem with growth vector \((2, 3, 5, 8)\) (Q2358835)

A sub-Riemannian manifold is often defined as an \(n\)-dimensional smooth manifold \(M\) equipped with a distribution of \(k\)-planes \(\mathcal D\) \((1<k<n)\) which carries a positive definite metric \(g\). From this data one derives a metric space structure \(d\) by declaring the distance of two points in \(M\) to be the infimum of the \(g\)-lengths of absolutely continuous paths tangent to \(\mathcal D\) joining the two points. If two points \(a_1\), \(a_2\in\mathbb R^2\) are connected by a smooth curve \(\gamma_1\subset\mathbb R^2\), then for arbitrary data \(S\in\mathbb R\), \(c=(c_x,c_y)\in\mathbb R^2\), and \(M=(M_{xx},M_{xy},M_{yy})\in\mathbb R^3\) the variational problem is to connect points \(a_1\) and \(a_2\) by a shortest curve \(\gamma\subset\mathbb R^2\) such that the domain \(D\subset\mathbb R^2\) bounded by the contour \(\gamma_1\cup\gamma\) has area \(S\), center of mass \(c\), and second-order moments \(M\). This geometric problem is equivalent with the following optimal control problem. For two points \(x^1\), \(x^2\in\mathbb R^8\), find a solution of the problem \(\dot x=u_1X_1(x)+u_2X_2(x)\), \(x\in\mathbb R^8\), \((u_1,u_2)\in\mathbb R^2\), \(x(0)=x^1\), \(x(T)=x^2\), \(l=\int\limits_0^T\sqrt{u_1^2+u_2^2}\,dt\to\text{min}\), where \(X_1\) and \(X_2\) are two special vector fields on \(\mathbb R^8\). The multiplication table in the Lie algebra generated by the fields \(X_1\) and \(X_2\) can make the space \(\mathbb R^8\) a Lie group \(G\) such that the fields \(X_1\,\dots,X_8\) form a left-invariant frame. The consecutive powers of the distribution \(\Delta=\text{span}(X_1,X_2)\) have the form \(\Delta^2=\text{span}(X_1,X_2,X_3)\), \(\Delta^3=\text{span}(X_1,\dots,X_5)\), and \(\Delta^4=\text{span}(X_1,\dots,X_8)\). It is said that the distribution \(\Delta\) has the growth vector \((\dim\Delta_x,\dim\Delta^2_x,\dim\Delta^3_x,\dim\Delta^4_x)=(2,3,5,8)\), \(x\in\mathbb R^8\). This optimal control problem is called the nilpotent sub-Riemannian problem with the growth vector \((2,3,5,8)\). If a control \(u(t)\) and the corresponding trajectory \(x(t)\) are optimal, then there exist a Lipschitz curve \(\lambda(t)=(x(t),\psi(t))\in T^*\mathbb R^8\) and a number \(\nu\in\{-1,0\}\) such that the following conditions are satisfied for almost all \(t\in[0,T]\): (i)\, \(\dot\lambda(t)=\vec h^{\nu}_{u(t)}(\lambda(t))\), (ii)\, \(h^{\nu}_{u(t)}(\lambda(t))=\max\limits_{v\in\mathbb R^2}h^{\nu}_v(\lambda(t))\), (iii)\, \((\nu,\lambda(t))\neq(0,0)\), where the Pontryagin function \(h^\nu_u\) is defined as \(h^\nu_u(\lambda)=\langle\psi,u_1X_1(x)+u_2X_2(x)\rangle+\frac12\nu(u_1^2+u_2^2)\) with \(\lambda=(x,\psi)\in T^*\mathbb R^8\), \(u\in\mathbb R^2\), and \(\nu\in\mathbb R\). The curve \(\lambda(t)\) is called an extremal, and the case when \(\nu=-1\) is said to be normal and when \(\nu=0\) abnormal. In this paper, the authors describe and study degenerate abnormal trajectories in the nilpotent sub-Riemannian problem with the growth vector \((2,3,5,8)\). These trajectories \(x(t)\) correspond to extremals \(\lambda(t)=(x(t),\psi(t))\) annihilating the distribution \(\Delta^3\). Also, they describe and investigate the two-dimensional surface \(D\) filled by these trajectories, and they construct a synthesis of optimal trajectories corresponding to constant controls on \(D\).