Uniqueness in the Cauchy problem for a class of hypoelliptic ultraparabolic operators (Q2390613)

Summary: We consider a class of hypoelliptic ultraparabolic operators in the form \[ {\mathcal L}=\sum^m_{j=1}X^2_j+X_0-\partial_t, \] under the assumption that the vector fields \(X_1,\dots,X_m\) and \(X_0-\partial_i\), are invariant with respect to a suitable homogeneous Lie group \(\mathbb G\). We show that if \(u,v\) are two solutions of \({\mathcal L}u=0\) on \(\mathbb R^N\times ]0, T[\) and \(u(\cdot,0)= \varphi\), then each of the following conditions: \(|u(x, t)-v(x,t)|\) can be bounded by \(M\exp(c|x|^2_{\mathbb G})\), or both \(u\) and \(v\) are non negative, implies \(u = v\). We use a technique which relies on a pointwise estimate of the fundamental solution of \(X\).