Abnormal curves on the Goursat systems of \(\mathbb{R}^{n}\) (Q539329)

For a 2-dimensional distribution \(E\) in \({\mathbb{R}}^n\) consider \[ E^1=E_1=E,\;E^i=[E^{i-1},E^{i-1}],\;E_i=[E,E_{i-1}], \;i\geq2. \] Let \(r_i(p)=\dim E_i(p)\) and \(m_i(p)=\dim E^i(p)\) for every \(i\geq1\) and for every point \(p\in{\mathbb{R}}^n\). The sequence \([r_1(p), r_2(p), \ldots]\) (resp. \([m_1(p), m_2(p), \ldots]\)) is called the \textit{small growth vector} (resp. \textit{great growth vector}) of \(E\), at a point \(p\in{\mathbb{R}}^n\). If dimensions of \(E_i\) (resp. \(E^i\)) are independent of \(p\), then the distribution is called \textit{regular} (resp. \textit{totally regular}). If the great growth vector, at the point \(p\), is \([2,3,\ldots,n]\), then the distribution is said to satisfy \textit{the Goursat condition} at \(p\). Moreover, if \(E\) satisfies, on a neighborhood of \(p\), the Goursat condition, then its annihilator \(E^\perp\) is called \textit{Goursat system} and it is denoted by (GS). A \(C^1\)-curve \(\gamma:[\alpha,\beta]\rightarrow{\mathbb{R}}^n\) is said to be an \(E\)-curve if \(\gamma(t)\in E_{\gamma(t)}\). Let \(\Omega_a([\alpha,\beta])=\{\gamma:[\alpha,\beta]\rightarrow{\mathbb{R}}^n\;:\;E-{\text{curve}}, \gamma(\alpha)=a\}\), \(a\in{\mathbb{R}}^n\). One defines \(\Omega_{a,b}([\alpha,\beta])\) in a similar way. A curve \(\gamma\) is said to be \textit{rigid} if it is an isolated point of \(\Omega_{a,b}([\alpha,\beta])\) for the \(C^1\)-topology. A curve \(\gamma\in\Omega_a([\alpha,\beta])\) is said to be \textit{abnormal} (or singular), if the endpoint map end\(:\Omega_a([\alpha,\beta])\rightarrow {\mathbb{R}}^n\), defined by \(\gamma\mapsto\gamma(\beta)\), is not a submersion at \(\gamma\). In this paper the authors study the abnormal and the rigid curves of the 2-distributions of \({\mathbb{R}}^n\) satisfying the Goursat condition everywhere. The directions for the rigid and the abnormal curves are given, when the systems satisfy the strong Goursat condition or when they have a singularity of order 2 in each dimension.