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Sub-Riemannian sphere in Martinet flat case

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 August 2002

A. Agrachev
Affiliation:
agrachev@mi.ras.ru
B. Bonnard
Affiliation:
bbonnard@u-bourgogne.fraddress
M. Chyba
Affiliation:
chyba@sunny.unige.ch
I. Kupka
Affiliation:
kupka@mathp6.jussieu.fr
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Abstract

This article deals with the local sub-Riemannian geometry on ℜ3, (D,g) where D is the distribution ker ω, ω being the Martinet one-form : dz - ½y2dxand g is a Riemannian metric on D. We prove that we can take g as a sum of squares adx2 + cd2. Then we analyze the flat case where a = c = 1. We parametrize the set of geodesics using elliptic integrals. This allows to compute the exponential mapping, the wave front, the conjugate and cut loci and the sub-Riemannian sphere. A direct consequence of our computations is to show that the sphere and the distance function are not sub-analytic. Some of these computations are generalized to a one parameter deformation of the flat case.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, SMAI, 1997

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