Improving the regularity of vector fields (Q2672206)

Let \(q \in \mathbb{N}\), \(0 < \alpha < \beta\), and \(\mathcal{C}^s\) be the Zygmund-Hölder space of order \(s\). Given vector fields \(X_1, \ldots, X_q\) on a \(\mathcal{C}^{\alpha+1}\) manifold \(\mathfrak{M}\) which span the tangent space at every point on \(\mathfrak{M}\), the paper provides necessary and sufficient conditions guaranteeing that there is a \(\mathcal{C}^{\beta+1}\) structure on \(\mathfrak{M}\) compatible with the \(\mathcal{C}^{\alpha+1}\) structure such that \(X_1, \ldots, X_q\) are \(\mathcal{C}^{\beta+1}_{\mathrm{loc}}\) vector fields. The results given in the paper generalize those by \textit{B. Street} ]Am. J. Math. 143, No. 6, 1791--1840 (2021; Zbl 1489.58002)], who examined the cases \(\alpha > 1\) and \(\beta > 2\). The necessary and sufficient conditions in [loc. cit.] were described with the commutators \(\{[X_j,X_k]\}_{j,k=1}^q\) of the vector fields. One main issue in the paper is that each \([X_j,X_k]\) is not immediately well defined for \(\alpha > 0\) small. The authors find suitable conditions alternative to those in [loc. cit.], which make sense in low regularity settings. The proof requires several concepts from differential geometry, Fourier analysis and the theory of elliptic partial differential equations.