Critical Gevrey index for hypoellipticity of parabolic operators and Newton polygons (Q678155)

The authors study the \(s\)-hypoellipticity, i.e. hypoellipticity with respect to the Gevrey class \(G^s\), \(1\leq s<\infty\), of degenerate parabolic operators of the form \[ P= \partial_t +\sum_{|\alpha |\leq 2m} a_\alpha(t) D^\alpha_x, \quad (x,t)\in \mathbb{R}^{n+1}. \] As a starting point, it is observed that \(P\) cannot be \(s\)-hypoelliptic for \(1\leq s<2m\). The \(s\)-hypoellipticity is then investigated for \(2m\leq s<\infty\), under assumptions which guarantee \(\infty\)-hypoellipticity, i.e. hypoellipticity in the standard \(C^\infty\) sense. A very detailed analysis is given in terms of the Newton polygons associated to \(P\). As a representative example, we quote \(P= \partial_t+ t^{2k} D^2_x+ ct^pD_x\), which is \(\infty\)-hypoelliptic for \(p\geq k\), and also \(s\)-hypoelliptic if \(s\geq 2\) in the case \(k\geq 2\). Another example is the operator of \textit{C. Parenti}, and the reviewer [Boll. Unione Mat. Ital., V. Ser., B 17, 390-409 (1980; Zbl 0416.35079)] \(P= \partial_t+t^{2k} D^{2m}_x\), for which \(s\)-hypoellipticity is proved for \(s\geq 2m\), \(k>m\).