Singularities of hypoelliptic Green functions (Q5906271)

The paper is devoted to a precise description of the singularity near the diagonal of the Green function associated to a hypoelliptic operator. The behaviour is in contrast with the elliptic situation, the Heisenberg group situation or the ``curved'' Heisenberg group situation studied by \textit{M. Chaleyat-Maurel} and \textit{J.-F. Le Gall} [Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 83, No. 1, 219-264 (1989; Zbl 0686.60058)]. Also, the result can be compared with the results on heat kernel [see \textit{G. Ben Arous}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 39, No. 1, 73-99 (1989; Zbl 0659.35024) and \textit{R. Léandre}, Forum Math. 4, No. 1, 45-75 (1992; Zbl 0749.60054)]. The approach is probabilistic. It relies on results on stochastic Taylor expansion of paths of the degenerate diffusion associated to the operator [see \textit{G. Ben Arous}, Probab. Theory Relat. Fields 81, No. 1, 29-77 (1989; Zbl 0639.60062) and \textit{F. Castell}, ibid. 96, No. 2, 225-239 (1993; Zbl 0794.60054)], and also on the a priori estimate given by \textit{A. Nagel}, \textit{E. M. Stein} and \textit{S. Wainger} [Acta Math. 155, 103-147 (1985; Zbl 0578.32044)]. Examples with explicit computations and applications to potential theory (as estimates of the capacities of small sets) are given.