Questions tagged [sub-riemannian-geometry]
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52 questions
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Carnot-Carathéodory metric
The metric in sub-Riemannian geometry is often called the Carnot-Carathéodory metric.
Question 1. What is the origin of this name? Who was the first to introduce it?
I believe that the "...
- 28k
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3
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Explicit formulas for Carnot-Carathéodory distances on Carnot groups
Let $G$ be a Carnot group (aka stratified group), so that $G$ is a connected and simply connected finite-dimensonal Lie group, whose Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ admits a decomposition $\mathfrak{g} = ...
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bi-Lipschitz gluing
Let $H$ be the Heisenberg group with
left invariant sub-Riemannian metric and $\varepsilon>0$ is small.
Let us denote by $|x-y|_H$ the distance from $x$ to $y$ in $H$.
I have a bi-Lipschitz ...
- 45k
10
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Where to find English translation of Pansu's paper from Ann. Math?
Where can I find English translation of the following paper?
P. Pansu,
Métriques de Carnot-Carathéodory et quasiisométries des espaces symétriques de rang un. (French. English summary) [Carnot-...
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2
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Why is proving $C^{\infty}$ regularity of sub Riemannian geodesics so hard?
In Montgomery's A Tour of Subriemannian Geometries, Their Geodesics and Applications, problem 10.1 in Chapter 10 asks "Is every minimizing geodesic smooth ?".
Can someone explain what are the major ...
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1
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On the diameter of left-invariant sub-Riemannian structures on a compact Lie group
Let $G$ be a compact connected Lie group with Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$ of dimension $m$.
We fix an inner product $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle$ on $\mathfrak g$.
We may assume (in case is necessary) ...
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Is $C^{\infty}(M)$ dense in weighted Sobolev space $W_{X}^{1}(M)$?
Let $M$ be a compact manifold without boudary and let $X_{1},\ldots,X_{m}$ be smooth vector fields on $M$. Consider the following weighted Sobolev space:
$$ W_{X}^{1}(M)=\{f\in L^{2}(M)|X_{j}f\in L^2(...
- 287
8
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1
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Horizontal distribution of a totally geodesic foliation
Let $\mathbb{M}$ be a $n+m$ dimensional manifold. Consider on $\mathbb{M}$ a rank $n$ sub-bundle $\mathcal{H}$ of the tangent bundle. We assume that $\mathcal{H}$ is endowed with a fiber wise inner ...
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Heisenberg group: function without vertical derivative
Let $\mathbb H$ be Heisenberg group with vector fields
$$
X=\partial_x - \frac12y\partial_t,\quad Y=\partial_y + \frac12x\partial_t,\quad T=\partial_t
$$
and $U\subset\mathbb H$ is an open set.
I am ...
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Open problems in sub-Riemannian geometry
What are some open problems in sub-Riemannian geometry?
I am interested especially in problems concerning connections and curvature, but any contribution is welcomed.
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2
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How to find equations of a sub-Riemannian problem
I am working on sub-Riemannian geometry and try to understand what are the tools to find the equations of a sub-Riemannian problem. Here is an example:
Let us consider the system defined by a ...
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7
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1
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Currents in sub-Riemannian geometry
Federer and Fleming's notion of "currents" is well established so far, and starting from the seminal work of Ambrosio and Kirchheim, the notion of metric currents is well studied also. The ...
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Why do people who work in stochastic analysis and geometry tend to work in sub Riemannian geometry?
There is a rich theory of diffusions on manifolds. Every time I see someone who studies diffusions on manifolds, it seems like they study the sub Riemannian setting. I get that this is more general ...
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Proof of Rashevskii-Chow theorem
I'm looking for a good quotation and comprehensive explaination of the theorem of Chow-Rashewski.
I'm writing my thesis on sub-Riemannian Geometry and a special control problem. Therefore I want to ...
- 73
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1
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Relationship between doubling constant of a metric space and of a metric measure space
Let $(X,d,m)$ be a metric measure space. We say that it is doubling in the sense of metric spaces if for every:
$x\in X$ and every $r>0$ there exists some (metric) doubling constant $C_d\geq 0$ ...
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6
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1
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Difference between the Laplacian and the sub-Laplacian of a Lie group
Given a Lie group $G$, what is the difference between the Laplacian $\Delta$ and the sub-Laplacian $\Delta_{sub}$ of $G$. And what are the properties that we lose when going from sub-Laplace to ...
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2
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Are rays in Carnot groups straight?
A famous open problem in Geometric Control Theory and in the study of sub-Riemannian manifolds is whether constant-speed length minimizers in a sub-Riemannian manifold are always smooth (see also this ...
- 3,146
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On Holonomy in (regular) Riemannian Foliations
Right now, I am trying to understanding the role of holonomy fields on Riemannian foliations, which lead me to the following (probably topological) groupoid:
Let $\mathcal{F}\subset M$ be a ...
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The Tangent Bundle of the Space of CR Structures on S^(2n+1)
Let $M$ be a smooth compact $n$-manifold without boundary, $g$ some choice of Riemannian metric on $M$, and $\omega_g$ the volume form gotten from $g$. Say you're interested in finding extrema for ...
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5
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1
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Conformal equivalence degenerate metric tensors
Assume that $g$ and $g'$ are metric tensors with one dimensional kernel and the same signature.
Does the classical results of Weyl (dim >3) or of Cotton (dim=3) generalise to that case, i.e. $g$ ...
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What do the Carnot groups act on?
My question is in some sense a less ambitious version of the following MO question where the answer was inconclusive.
A Carnot group of step $N$ can be identified within the tensor algebra, modulo ...
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Regularity of the distance from the boundary in singular riemannian manifolds
I am looking for references related with the regularity of the distance from the boundary in singular Riemannian manifolds.
I assume the following setting. $(M,g)$ is a Riemannian manifold, with ...
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4
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2
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Is $\mathbb{P}T^*M$ a sub-Riemannian manifold if $M$ is Riemannian?
(this question is about a particular aspect of a previous question, which was not duly stressed)
Let $(M,g)$ a Riemannian $n$-dimensional manifold, and let
$$
\widetilde{M}:=\mathbb{P}T^*M
$$
be the $...
- 2,527
4
votes
2
answers
375
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Converse to Chow's theorem in sub-riemannian geometry
Chow's theorem is the statement that if $M$ is a connected smooth manifold endowed with a distribution $\mathcal{D}$ which is completely non integrable (i.e. iterated commutators of smooth sections of ...
- 2,479
4
votes
3
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1k
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Ball-Box Theorem and Sequence of Distributions
Let $(e^k,g^k)$ be a sequence of 2d smooth distributions in $R^3$ (with Euclidean metric) s.t $e^k,g^k$ are orthogonal. Let $f^k$ normal direction to this distribution. Suppose $[e^k,g^k] \neq 0 $ on ...
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1
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Heisenberg groups, Carnot groups and contact forms
The horizontal distribution in the Heisenberg group is the kernel of the standard contact form:
$$
\alpha = dt + 2 \sum_{j=1}^n (x_j \, dy_j - y_j \, dx_j).
$$
Question. Can one describe ...
- 28k
4
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dirichlet problem in the heisenberg group
Good morning everybody.
I was looking just for a quick reference to know whether the Dirichlet problem has a solution in the Heisenberg group, that is $\mathbb R^3$ endowed with coordinates $(x,y,z)$ ...
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Horizontal Sobolev space on Carnot group
This question is connected with my previous: Heisenberg group: function without vertical derivative.
Here I am trying to look from another side: what is a difference between Sobolev space and ...
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4
votes
1
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480
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Is this distribution completely non integrable?
We consider the usual Riemannian metric on $S^{n}$. Its corresponding LC connection gives us a distribution on $TS^{n}$. Is this distribution completely nonintegrable?
In general, what type of ...
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0
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Characteristic of Sobolev space generated by Hörmander vector fields
Let $\Omega$ be an open bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ with smooth boundary $\partial\Omega$. Suppose that $X=(X_{1},X_{2},\ldots,X_{m})$ are smooth vector fields defined on $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ and ...
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Estimation on Carnot-Carathéodory metric induced on $\mathbb{R}^3$ by Martinet vector fields
At page 763 of Trace theorems for vector fields - R. Monti, D. Morbidelli the Carnot-Carathéodory metric $d$ induced on $\mathbb{R}^2$ by the vector fields $$X_1 = \partial_x \ \text{ and } \ X_2 = |...
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2
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295
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Length of non-horizontal curve
Let $M$ be a sub-Riemannian space.
Consider a smooth curve $\gamma:[0,1]\to M$ such that
$\dot\gamma(t)\not\in H_{\gamma(t)}$, where $H_{\gamma(t)}$ is the horizontal subbundle ( i.e. $\gamma$ is ...
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3
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1
answer
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how to use the sobolev inequality to obtain the embedding theorem
I am reading Luca Capogna's article An Embedding theorem and the Harnack inequalitiy for nonlinear subelliptic equations. In this article, the authors proved the following theorem
(Theorem 2.3) Let ...
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0
answers
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Geometric interpretation for a connection whose corresponding distribution generates the whole Lie algebras of vector fields
Let we have a connection on a manifold $M$ so it is considered as a distribution on the tangent bundle $TM$ of $M$. The integrability of this distrbution is equivalent to flatness of the connection.
...
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3
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0
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Regularity of subelliptic eigenfunction on characteristic domain
Background: Consider the Hörmander vector fields $X=(X_1,\cdots,X_m)$ on $\mathbb{R}^n$, and the associated Dirichlet eigenvalue problem
$$-\Delta u:=\sum_{i=1}^mX_i^*X_iu=\lambda u~~\text{on}~\Omega,~...
- 561
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0
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Homogeneous Carnot group, its Lie algebra and Carnot-Carathéodory ball
Background: Let the smooth vector fields $X=(X_1,\cdots,X_m)$ define on $\mathbb{R}^n$ and they satisfy the following assumption:
(H1): There is a dilation structure
$$\delta_{t}:\mathbb{R}^n\to \...
- 561
3
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0
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A question about a paper of Bismut and Lebeau
Let $X$ be a Riemannian manifold, and $Y\hookrightarrow X$ be a closed submanifold of $X$ with normal bundle $N$ with the induced metric.
Then near $Y$, we have $$dv_X(y,Z)=k(y,Z)dv_Y(y)dv_{N_y}(Z),$$...
- 1,915
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2
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Principal bundles and Subriemannian Geometry
In sub-Riemannian geometry, one considers manifolds $P$ equipped with a subbundle $\mathcal{H}$ of $TP$, the horizontal distribution. One then has a Riemannian metric only on this distribution $\...
- 9,853
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1
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A metric naturally arise from the Euclidean symplectic structure?
For $n>1$ let $\omega=\sum_{i=1}^n dx_i\wedge dy_i$ be the standard symplectic structure on $\mathbb{R}^{2n}=\mathbb{R}^n \times \mathbb{R}^n$.
We define the following distribution $D$ on $\mathbb{...
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1
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Integrability of direct sum of some integrable distributions
Let $M$ be a smooth manifold and let $\Delta _i$ for $i=1,...,k$ be distributions of $TM$ which are integrable such that $\Delta_i \cap \Delta _j$ is zero distribution for $i \neq j$. Suppose $\Delta ...
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1
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The relationship about sub-unit ball and sub-elliptic ball
Let $\Omega$ be a bounded open domain in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ with smooth boundary.$\{X_{1},\cdots,X_{m}\}$ be smooth real vector fields on $\Omega$ Which satisfy the Hormander condition. If $\gamma$ is ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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Volume of the subelliptic ball
Let $\Omega \in \mathbb{R}^n$ a bounded open set when $n\geq 2$, and let $X_{1},X_{2},\cdots,X_{m}$ be real smooth vector fields that satisfy Hormander condition on $\Omega$. If we denote $Q(x)$ as ...
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Solution of lift spinor
Let $\pi:M\to X$ be a fibration map between two spin manifolds, i.e. the fiber $\pi^{-1}(x)$ is a manifold, suppose $s:X\to M$ is an embedding. Let $\Phi$ be a solution of Dirac equation, i.e. $D^X\...
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1
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Doubling constant of Carnot group
This post shows that every Carnot group is a doubling metric space. However, what is its doubling constant?
- 5,405
1
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1
answer
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A possible sub-Riemannian structure associated to a non-symmetric matrix
Let $A=(a_{ij})$ be an invertible matrix with real entries $a_{ij}$.
We associate to $A$ the $1$-form $\alpha=\sum_i (\sum_j a_{ij}x_j)dx_i$.
The distribution $\ker \alpha$ is integrable if and ...
- 366
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1
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When are Carnot groups negatively curved and homeomorphic to Euclidean space
When are Carnot groups complete and negatively curved (in the sense of $CAT(\kappa)$ spaces)?
- 5,405
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0
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Good references to understand sub-Riemannian geometry and Heisenberg groups
I'm looking for books and articles to understand a little about the Heisenberg group and sub-Riemannian geometry, specifically why the Heisenberg group is an example of a sub-Riemannian manifold, and ...
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0
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96
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"Quasiconformal" projections from Heisenberg group to the plane
Let $G$ be the 3-dimensional Heisenberg group equipped with its Carnot-Caratheodory subriemannian metric $d_{G}$. Let $U$ be a domain in $G$ of the form $V \times I$, where $V$ is an open subset of $\...
- 179
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0
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74
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Ahlfors regular path metric defined by a continuous plane field in $\mathbb{R}^{3}$
Suppose I have a uniformly Holder continuous plane field $H$ on $\mathbb{R}^{3}$. I will assume that this plane field $H$ has many special properties, all of which are completely unreasonable to ...
- 179
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0
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Asymptotic cone of discrete group of Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}^3$
Note that $(\mathbb{Z}^2,d_W)$ where $d_W$ is word metric has asymptotic cone $$(\mathbb{R}^2,\| \ \|_1)=\lim_{t>0\rightarrow 0}\ t(\mathbb{Z}^2,d_W)$$
And Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}^3$ has an ...
- 1,100