We show that strictly abnormal geodesics arise in graded nilpotent Lie groups. We construct such a group, for which some Carnot geodesics are strictly abnormal; in fact, they are not normal in any subgroup. In the step-2 case we also prove that these geodesics are always smooth. Our main technique is based on the equations for the normal and abnormal curves, that we derive (for any Lie group) explicitly in terms of the structure constants.
This paper is a sequel of arxiv:1709.09045 and deals with privileged coordinates and nilpotent approximation of Carnot manifolds. By a Carnot manifold it is meant a manifold equipped with a filtration by subbundles of the tangent bundle which is compatible with the Lie bracket of vector fields. In this paper, we single out a special class of privileged coordinates in which the nilpotent approximation at a given point of a Carnot manifold is given by its tangent group. We call these coordinates Carnot coordinates. Examples of Carnot coordinates include Darboux coordinates on contact manifolds a…
In Carnot groups of step 3, all subriemannian geodesics are proved to be normal. The proof is based on a reduction argument and the Goh condition for minimality of singular curves. The Goh condition is deduced from a reformulation and a calculus of the end-point mapping which boils down to the graded structures of Carnot groups.
In this paper we attempt to give a systematic account on privileged coordinates and the nilpotent approximation of Carnot manifolds. By a Carnot manifold it is meant a manifold with a distinguished filtration of subbundles of the tangent bundle which is compatible with the Lie bracket of vector fields. This paper lies down the background for its sequel by clarifying a few points on privileged coordinates and the nilpotent approximation of Carnot manifolds. In particular, we give a description of all the systems of privileged coordinates at a given point. We also give an algebraic characterizat…
We construct examples of 2-step Carnot groups related to quaternions and study their fine structure and geometric properties. This involves the Hamiltonian formalism, which is used to obtain explicit equations for geodesics and the computation of the number of geodesics joining two different points on these groups. We able to find the explicit lengths of geodesics. We present the fundamental solutions of the Heat and sub-Laplace equations for these anisotropic groups and obtain some estimates for them, which may be useful.
This paper is part of an undergraduate research project. We discuss the Heisenberg group H1, the three-dimensional space R3 equipped with one of two equivalent metrics, the Koranyi- and Carnot- Caratheodory metric. We show that the notion of length of curves for both metrics coincide, and that shortest curves, so-called geodesics, exist.
The group of real 4 by 4 upper triangular matrices with 1s on the diagonal has a left-invariant subRiemannian (or Carnot-Caratheodory) structure whose underlying distribution corresponds to the superdiagonal. We prove that the associated subRiemannian geodesic flow is not completely integrable. This provides the first example of a Carnot group (graded nilpotent Lie group with an invariant subRiemannian structure supported on the generating subspace) with a non-integrable geodesic flow. We apply this result to prove that the centralizer for the corresponding quadratic ``quantum'' Hamiltonian in…
If f is a conformal mapping defined on a connected open subset of a Carnot group G, then either f is the composition of a translation, a dilation and an isometry, or G is the nilpotent Iwasawa component of a real rank 1 simple Lie group S, and f arises from the action of S on G, viewed as an open subset of S/P, where P is a parabolic subgroup of G and NP is open and dense in S.
This paper provides some partial regularity results for geodesics (i.e., isometric images of intervals) in arbitrary sub-Riemannian and sub-Finsler manifolds. Our strategy is to study infinitesimal and asymptotic properties of geodesics in Carnot groups equipped with arbitrary sub-Finsler metrics. We show that tangents of Carnot geodesics are geodesics in some groups of lower nilpotency step. Namely, every blowup curve of every geodesic in every Carnot group is still a geodesic in the group modulo its last layer. Then as a consequence we get that in every sub-Riemannian manifold any $s$ times …
We find a different approach to define convex functions in the sub-Riemannian setting. A function on a sub-Riemannian manifold is nonholonomically geodesic convex if its restriction to any nonholonomic (straightest) geodesic is convex. In the case of Carnot groups, this definition coincides with that by Danniell-Garofalo-Nieuhn (equivalent to that by Lu-Manfredi-Stroffolini). Nonholonomic geodesics are defined using the horizontal connection. A new distance corresponding to the horizontal connection has been introduced and near regular points proven to be equivalent to the Carnot-Carathèodory …
In this paper an alternative definition of the Rumin complex $(E_0^\bullet,d_c)$ is presented, one that relies on a different concept of weights of forms. In this way, the Rumin complex can be constructed on any nilpotent Lie group equipped with a Carnot-Carathéodory metric. Moreover, this construction allows for the direct application of previous non-vanishing results of $\ell^{q,p}$ cohomology to all nilpotent Lie groups that admit a positive grading.
A metric Lie algebra g is a Lie algebra equipped with an inner product. A subalgebra h of a metric Lie algebra g is said to be totally geodesic if the Lie subgroup corresponding to h is a totally geodesic submanifold relative to the left-invariant Riemannian metric defined by the inner product, on the simply connected Lie group associated to g. A nonzero element of g is called a geodesic if it spans a one-dimensional totally geodesic subalgebra. We give a new proof of Kaizer's theorem that every metric Lie algebra possesses a geodesic. For nilpotent Lie algebras, we give several results on the…
In this paper we study the main geometric properties of the Carnot-Carathéodory (abbreviated CC) distance $\dc$ in the setting of $k$-step sub-Riemannian Carnot groups from many different points of view. An extensive study of the so-called normal CC-geodesics is given. We state and prove some related variational formulae and we find suitable Jacobi-type equations for normal CC-geodesics. One of our main results is a sub-Riemannian version of the Gauss Lemma. We show the existence of the metric normal for smooth non-characteristic hypersurfaces. We also compute the sub-Riemannian exponential ma…
In this article we prove that the codimension of the abnormal set of the endpoint map for certain classes of Carnot groups of step 2 is at least three. Our result applies to all step 2 Carnot groups of dimension up to 7 and is a generalisation of a previous analogous result for step 2 free nilpotent groups.
Some nilpotent Lie groups possess a transformation group analogous to the similarity group acting on the Euclidean space. We call such a pair a nilpotent similarity structure. It is notably the case for all Carnot groups and their dilatations. We generalize a theorem of Fried: closed manifolds with a nilpotent similarity structure are either complete or radiant and, in the latter case, complete for the structure of the space deprived of a point. The proof relies on a generalization of convexity arguments in a setting where, in the coordinates given by the Lie algebra, we study geodesic segment…
Stratified groups are those simply connected Lie groups whose Lie algebras admit a derivation for which the eigenspace with eigenvalue 1 is Lie generating. When a stratified group is equipped with a left-invariant path distance that is homogeneous with respect to the automorphisms induced by the derivation, this metric space is known as Carnot group. Carnot groups appear in several mathematical contexts. To understand their algebraic structure, it is useful to study some examples explicitly. In this work, we provide a list of low-dimensional stratified groups, express their Lie product, and pr…
One knows that the large time heat decay exponent on a nilpotent group is given by half the growing rate of the volume of its large balls. This work deals with the similar problem of trying to interpret geometrically the heat decay on (one) forms. We will show how it is (partially) related to the depth of the relations required to define the group. The tools used apply in general on Carnot-Caratheodory manifolds.
We prove injectivity and a support theorem for the X-ray transform on $2$-step nilpotent Lie groups with many totally geodesic $2$-dimensional flats. The result follows from a general reduction principle for manifolds with uniformly escaping geodesics.
In this paper, we consider the Rumin complex on homogenenous nilpotent Lie groups. We present an alternative construction to the classical one on Carnot groups using ideas from parabolic geometry. We also give the explicit computations for the Engel group with this approach.
We study the topology of admissible-loop spaces on a step-two Carnot group G. We use a Morse-Bott theory argument to study the structure and the number of geodesics on G connecting the origin with a 'vertical' point (geodesics are critical points of the 'Energy' functional, defined on the loop space). These geodesics typically appear in families (critical manifolds). Letting the energy grow, we obtain an upper bound on the number of critical manifolds with energy bounded by s: this upper bound is polynomial in s of degree l (the corank of the distribution). Despite this evidence, we show that …
A Carnot group G is a connected, simply connected, nilpotent Lie group with stratified Lie algebra. Intrinsic regular surfaces in Carnot groups play the same role as C^1 surfaces in Euclidean spaces. As in Euclidean spaces, intrinsic regular surfaces can be locally defined in different ways: e.g. as non critical level sets or as continuously intrinsic differentiable graphs. The equivalence of these natural definitions is the problem that we are studying. Precisely our aim is to generalize some results proved by Ambrosio, Serra Cassano, Vittone valid in Heisenberg groups to the more general set…
In this paper, we prove results concerning the large scale geometry of connected, simply connected nonabelian nilpotent Lie groups equipped with left invariant Riemannian metrics. Precisely, we prove that there do not exist quasi-isometric embeddings of such a nilpotent Lie group into either a CAT(0) metric space or an Alexandrov metric space with curvature bounded below. The main technical aspect of this work is the proof of a limited metric differentiability of Lipschitz maps between connected graded nilpotent Lie groups equipped with left invariant Carnot-Caratheodory metrics and complete m…
Any free nilpotent Lie algebra is determined by its rank and step. We consider free nilpotent Lie algebras of steps 3, 4 and corresponding connected and simply connected Lie groups. We construct Casimir functions of such groups, i.e., invariants of the coadjoint representation. For free 3-step nilpotent Lie groups we get a full description of coadjoint orbits. It turns out that general coadjoint orbits are affine subspaces, and special coadjoint orbits are affine subspaces or direct products of nonsingular quadrics. The knowledge of Casimir functions is useful for investigation of integration …
We prove that H-type Carnot groups of rank $k$ and dimension $n$ satisfy the $\mathrm{MCP}(K,N)$ if and only if $K\leq 0$ and $N \geq k+3(n-k)$. The latter integer coincides with the geodesic dimension of the Carnot group. The same result holds true for the larger class of generalized H-type Carnot groups introduced in this paper, and for which we compute explicitly the optimal synthesis. This constitutes the largest class of Carnot groups for which the curvature exponent coincides with the geodesic dimension. We stress that generalized H-type Carnot groups have step 2, include all corank 1 gr…
Hedlund constructed Riemannian metrics on n-tori, $n \geq 3$ for which minimal geodesics are very rare. In this paper we construct similar examples for every nilpotent fundamental group. These examples show that Bangert's existence results of minimal geodesics are optimal for nilpotent fundamental groups.
The goals of this article are twofold : 1) to compute the conjugate locus of a geodesic that lies in the center of a simply connected, 2-step nilpotent Lie group with a left invariant metric 2) compare the isometry types of two such nilpotent Lie groups whose conjugate loci for central geodesics are "the same" in a suitable sense. The first goal is achieved. The second is elusive, but we obtain a partial result.
We show that if $M$ is a sub-Riemannian manifold and $N$ is a Carnot group such that the nilpotentization of $M$ at almost every point is isomorphic to $N$, then there are subsets of $N$ of positive measure that embed into $M$ by bilipschitz maps. Furthermore, $M$ is countably $N$--rectifiable, i.e., all of $M$ except for a null set can be covered by countably many such maps.
We prove super-quadratic lower bounds for the growth of the filling area function of a certain class of Carnot groups. This class contains groups for which it is known that their Dehn function grows no faster than $n^2\log n$. We therefore obtain the existence of (finitely generated) nilpotent groups whose Dehn functions do not have exactly polynomial growth and we thus answer a well-known question about the possible growth rate of Dehn functions of nilpotent groups.
Carnot groups are distinguished spaces that are rich of structure: they are those Lie groups equipped with a path distance that is invariant by left-translations of the group and admit automorphisms that are dilations with respect to the distance. We present the basic theory of Carnot groups together with several remarks. We consider them as special cases of graded groups and as homogeneous metric spaces. We discuss the regularity of isometries in the general case of Carnot-Caratheodory spaces and of nilpotent metric Lie groups.
We consider a nilpotent Lie group with a bracket-generating distribution $\hhh$ and an asymmetric left-invariant norm $\|\cdot\|_K$ induced by a convex body $K\subseteq\hhh$ containing $0$ in its interior. In this paper we prove the existence of minimizers of the perimeter functional $P_K$ associated to $\|\cdot\|_K$ under a volume (Haar measure) constraint. Our result generalizes the one of Leonardi and Rigot for Carnot groups.
We consider the free nilpotent Lie algebra $L$ with 2 generators, of step 4, and the corresponding connected simply connected Lie group $G$. We study the left-invariant sub-Riemannian structure on $G$ defined by the generators of $L$ as an orthonormal frame. We compute two vector field models of $L$ by polynomial vector fields in $R^8$, and find an infinitesimal symmetry of the sub-Riemannian structure. Further, we compute explicitly the product rule in $G$, the right-invariant frame on $G$, linear on fibers Hamiltonians corresponding to the left-invariant and right-invariant frames on $G$, Ca…
Rank-one symmetric spaces carry a solvable group model which have a generalization to a larger class of Lie groups that are one-dimensional extensions of nilpotent groups. By examining some metric properties of these symmetric spaces, we motivate and prove the existence of analogous left-invariant, Riemannian metrics on Heintze groups of Carnot-type. These metrics adhere to certain natural curvature pinching properties, and we show in a special case that this pinching is optimal, appealing to a result of Belegradek and Kapovitch.
We consider Lie groups equipped with arbitrary distances. We only assume that the distance is left-invariant and induces the manifold topology. For brevity, we call such object metric Lie groups. Apart from Riemannian Lie groups, distinguished examples are sub-Riemannian Lie groups and, in particular, Carnot groups equipped with Carnot-Carathéodory distances. We study the regularity of isometries, i.e., distance-preserving homeomorphisms. Our first result is the analyticity of such maps between metric Lie groups. The second result is that if two metric Lie groups are connected and nilpotent th…
We continue the study of the distribution of closed geodesics on nilmanifolds constructed from a simply connected 2-step nilpotent Lie group with a left invariant metric and a lattice. We consider a Lie group with an associated 2-step nilpotent Lie algebra constructed from an irreducible representation of a compact semisimple Lie algebra on a real finite dimensional vector space. We determine sufficient conditions on the semisimple Lie algebra for the nilmanifold to have the density of closed geodesics property for a lattice arising from a Chevalley rational structure.
The goal of this paper is the study of algebraic relations on the Lie algebra of first integrals of the geodesic flow on nilpotent Lie groups equipped with a left-invariant metric. It is proved that the isometry algebra of the $k$-step nilpotent Lie group, $k=2,3$, gives rise to a isomorphic family of first integrals for the geodesic flow. Also invariant first integrals are analyzed and new involution conditions are shown. Finally it is proved that in low dimensions complete families of first integrals can be constructed with Killing vector fields and symmetric Killing 2-tensor fields. This ho…
The notion of curvature discussed in this paper is a far going generalization of the Riemannian sectional curvature. It was first introduced by Agrachev, Barilari and Rizzi in arXiv:1306.5318, and it is defined for a wide class of optimal control problems: a unified framework including geometric structures such as Riemannian, sub-Riemannian, Finsler, and sub-Finsler structures. In this work we study the generalized sectional curvature of Carnot groups with rank-two distributions. In particular, we consider the Cartan group and Carnot groups with horizontal distribution of Goursat-type. In thes…
We study the geodesics problem in Heisenberg group H (case SR and riemannian). The sheaf of infinitesimal automorphisms of the (2n,2n+1) distribution D over H is an infinite, transitive Lie algebra sheaf.
We prove that any corank 1 Carnot group of dimension $k+1$ equipped with a left-invariant measure satisfies the $\mathrm{MCP}(K,N)$ if and only if $K \leq 0$ and $N \geq k+3$. This generalizes the well known result by Juillet for the Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}_{k+1}$ to a larger class of structures, which admit non-trivial abnormal minimizing curves. The number $k+3$ coincides with the geodesic dimension of the Carnot group, which we define here for a general metric space. We discuss some of its properties, and its relation with the curvature exponent (the least $N$ such that the $\mathrm{MC…
We study the geodesic orbit property for nilpotent Lie groups $N$ when endowed with a pseudo-Riemannian left-invariant metric. We consider this property with respect to different groups acting by isometries. When $N$ acts on itself by left-translations we show that it is a geodesic orbit space if and only if the metric is bi-invariant. Assuming $N$ is 2-step nilpotent and with non-degenerate center we give algebraic conditions on the Lie algebra $\mathfrak n$ of $N$ in order to verify that every geodesic is the orbit of a one-parameter subgroup of $N\rtimes\operatorname{Auto}(N)$. In addition …
This paper studies the infinitesimal structure of Carnot manifolds. By a Carnot manifold we mean a manifold together with a subbundle filtration of its tangent bundle which is compatible with the Lie bracket of vector fields. We introduce a notion of differential, called Carnot differential, for Carnot manifolds maps (i.e., maps that are compatible with the Carnot manifold structure). This differential is obtained as a group map between the corresponding tangent groups. We prove that, at every point, a Carnot manifold map is osculated in a very precise way by its Carnot differential at the poi…
In the present paper we study the rigidity of 2-step Carnot groups, or equivalently, of graded 2-step nilpotent Lie algebras. We prove the alternative that depending on bi-dimensions of the algebra, the Lie algebra structure makes it either always of infinite type or generically rigid, and we specify the bi-dimensions for each of the choices. Explicit criteria for rigidity of pseudo $H$- and $J$-type algebras are given. In particular, we establish the relation of the so-called $J^2$-condition to rigidity, and we explore these conditions in relation to pseudo $H$-type algebras.
PseudoH-type is a natural generalization of H-type to geometries with indefinite metric tensors. We give a complete determination of the conjugate locus including multiplicities. We also obtain a partial characterization in terms of the abundance of totally geodesic, 3-dimensional submanifolds.
This paper is a continuation of the previous work of the first author. We characterize a class of step-two groups introduced in \cite{Li19}, saying GM-groups, via some basic sub-Riemannian geometric properties, including the squared Carnot-Carathéodory distance, the cut locus, the classical cut locus, the optimal synthesis, etc. Also, the shortest abnormal set can be exhibited easily in such situation. Some examples of such groups are step-two groups of corank $2$, of Kolmogorov type, or those associated to quadratic CR manifolds. As a byproduct, the main goal in \cite{BBG12} is achieved from …
We begin a systematic study of these spaces, initially following along the lines of Eberlein's comprehensive study of the Riemannian case. In particular, we integrate the geodesic equation, discuss the structure of the isometry group, and make a study of lattices and periodic geodesics. Some major differences from the Riemannian theory appear. There are many flat groups (versus none), including Heisenberg groups. While still a semidirect product, the isometry group can be strictly larger than the obvious analogue. Everything is illustrated with explicit examples. We introduce the notion of pH-…
We show that the tangent cone at the identity is not a complete quasiconformal invariant for sub-Riemannian nilpotent groups. Namely, we show that there exists a nilpotent Lie group equipped with left invariant sub-Riemannian metric that is not locally quasiconformally equivalent to its tangent cone at the identity. In particular, such spaces are not locally bi-Lipschitz homeomorphic. The result is based on the study of Carnot groups that are rigid in the sense that their only quasiconformal maps are the translations and the dilations.
We give a basic treatment of lattices $Γ$ in these groups. Certain tori $T_F$ and $T_B$ provide the model fiber and the base for a submersion of $Γ\backslash N$. This submersion may not be pseudoriemannian in the usual sense, because the tori may be degenerate. We then begin the study of periodic geodesics in these compact nilmanifolds, obtaining a complete calculation of the period spectrum of certain flat spaces.
Combining Varadhan's formula, Loewner's theorem with the method of stationary phase, we study the exact formula of the Carnot-Carathéodory distance on $2$-step groups. The method is also adapted to determine all normal geodesics from the identity element to any given point (up to a set of measure zero). As an application, we characterize the squared sub-Riemannian distance as well as the cut locus on generalized Heisenberg-type groups and on star graphs respectively. Furthermore, the long-standing open problem of Gaveau-Brockett is completely solved in the case of $N_{3, 2}$, the free Carnot g…
We describe co-adjoint orbits and Casimir functions for two-step free-nilpotent Lie algebras. The symplectic foliation consists of affine subspaces of the Lie coalgebra of different dimensions. Further, we consider left-invariant time-optimal problems on two-step Carnot groups, for which the set of admissible velocities is a strictly convex compactum in the first layer of the Lie algebra containing the origin in its interior. We describe integrals for the vertical subsystem of the Hamiltonian system of Pontryagin maximum principle. Further, we describe constancy and periodicity of solutions to…
The geodesic orbit property has been studied intensively for Riemannian manifolds. Geodesic orbit spaces are homogeneous and allow simplifications of many structural questions using the Lie algebra of the isometry group. Weakly symmetric Riemannian manifolds are geodesic orbit spaces. Here we define "naturally reductive" for pseudo-Riemannian manifolds and note that they are geodesic orbit spaces. A few years ago two of the authors proved that weakly symmetric pseudo-Riemannian manifolds are geodesic orbit spaces. In particular these results apply to pseudo-Riemannian Lorentz manifolds. There …
The space of $k$-jets of $n$ real function of one real variable $x$ admits the structure of a Carnot group, which then has an associated Hamiltonian geodesic flow. As in any Hamiltonian flow, a natural question is the existence of periodic solutions. Does the space of $k$-jets have periodic geodesics? This study will demonstrate the integrability of subRiemannian geodesic flow, characterize and classify the subRiemannian geodesics in the space of $k$-jets, and show that they are never periodic.
This paper deals with the theory of rectifiability in arbitrary Carnot groups, and in particular with the study of the notion of $\mathscr{P}$-rectifiable measure. First, we show that in arbitrary Carnot groups the natural \textit{infinitesimal} definition of rectifiabile measure, i.e., the definition given in terms of the existence of \textit{flat} tangent measures, is equivalent to the global definition given in terms of coverings with intrinsically differentiable graphs, i.e., graphs with \textit{flat} Hausdorff tangents. In general we do not have the latter equivalence if we ask the coveri…
