Metric Lie groups. Carnot-Carathéodory spaces from the homogeneous viewpoint (Q6949002)

This monograph provides a systematic study of Carnot-Carathéodory spaces from the viewpoint of Lie groups, with particular emphasis on Carnot groups and more generally, metric and sub-Finsler Lie groups. The author adopts a homogeneous and metric perspective, aiming to relate sub-Riemannian geometry with Lie theory and geometric group theory within a unified framework.\N\NCarnot groups are presented as nilpotent Lie groups equipped with left-invariant sub-Riemannian or sub-Finsler structures and are shown to play a central organizing role throughout the text. In particular, they arise as metric tangents of Carnot-Carathéodory spaces, as asymptotic cones of finitely generated nilpotent groups and as parabolic boundaries of rank-one symmetric spaces. The book emphasizes that metric Lie groups whose left-invariant distances are geodesic coincide with sub-Finsler Lie groups.\N\NAfter an introductory chapter on sub-Riemannian geometry and Carnot-Carathéodory distances, the Heisenberg group is treated in detail as a guiding example. Subsequent chapters review background material in metric and differential geometry and develop the general theory of Carnot-Carathéodory spaces. Lie groups endowed with invariant distances are then studied, followed by a detailed analysis of sub-Finsler and Riemannian Lie groups. Nilpotent Lie groups are examined from both differential and metric viewpoints, leading to a comprehensive treatment of Carnot groups, including dilations, metric tangents and Pansu differentiability.\N\NThe later chapters place Carnot groups within a broader geometric context by studying limits and asymptotic cones of manifolds and metric spaces, as well as rank-one symmetric spaces and Heintze groups. These settings provide natural occurrences of metric Lie groups admitting dilations and clarify the role of Carnot groups as boundary objects and tangent models in negatively curved and large-scale geometric structures. An axiomatic characterization of Carnot groups as locally compact, geodesic, isometrically homogeneous metric spaces admitting dilations is established.