A Semple-type approach to a problem of Goursat: the multi-flag case (Q392622)

In a recent paper [Differ. Geom. Appl. 30, No. 5, 405--427 (2012; Zbl 1262.58003)], the authors considered the classification of the orbits within a tower of fibrations with \(\mathbb P^2\)-fibers, generalizing the tower of fiber bundles due to \textit{J. Semple} and rediscovered by \textit{R. Montgomery} and \textit{M. Zhitomirskii} in the context of subriemannian geometry [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 956, i-ix, 1--136 (2010; Zbl 1187.58006)]. This tower admits a natural action of the diffeomorphism group of affine 3-space and the orbits correspond to classes of Goursat multi-flags. The paper under review presents the classification of Goursat 2-flags of small length and investigates the orbits within each of the first four levels. The proofs use the singular curves approach as well as the RC coding system, which partitioned the various points within the tower, (see R. Montgomery, M. Zhitomirskii [loc. cit.] and \textit{A. L. Castro} and \textit{R. Montgomery} [Isr. J. Math. 192, Part A, 381--427 (2012; Zbl 1266.58023)]).