We approach the quasi-isometric classification questions on Lie groups by considering low dimensional cases and isometries alongside quasi-isometries. First, we present some new results related to quasi-isometries between Heintze groups. Then we will
see how these results together with the existing tools related to isometries can be applied to groups of dimension 4 and 5 in particular. Thus we take steps towards determining all the equivalence classes of groups up to isometry and quasi-isometry. We completely solve the classification up to isometry for simply connected solvable groups in dimension 4, and for the subclass of groups of polynomial growth in dimension 5.
We generalize both the notion of polynomial functions on Lie groups and the notion of horizontally affine maps on Carnot groups. We fix a subset $S$ of the algebra $mathfrak g$ of left-invariant vector fields on a Lie group $mathbb G$ and we assume t
hat $S$ Lie generates $mathfrak g$. We say that a function $f:mathbb Gto mathbb R$ (or more generally a distribution on $mathbb G$) is $S$-polynomial if for all $Xin S$ there exists $kin mathbb N$ such that the iterated derivative $X^k f$ is zero in the sense of distributions. First, we show that all $S$-polynomial functions (as well as distributions) are represented by analytic functions and, if the exponent $k$ in the previous definition is independent on $Xin S$, they form a finite-dimensional vector space. Second, if $mathbb G$ is connected and nilpotent we show that $S$-polynomial functions are polynomial functions in the sense of Leibman. The same result may not be true for non-nilpotent groups. Finally, we show that in connected nilpotent Lie groups, being polynomial in the sense of Leibman, being a polynomial in exponential chart, and the vanishing of mixed derivatives of some fixed degree along directions of $mathfrak g$ are equivalent notions.
We relate the sub-Riemannian geometry on the group of rigid motions of the plane to `bicycling mathematics. We show that this geometrys geodesics correspond to bike paths whose front tracks are either non-inflectional Euler elasticae or straight line
s, and that its infinite minimizing geodesics (or `metric lines) correspond to bike paths whose front tracks are either straight lines or `Eulers solitons (also known as Syntractrix or Convicts curves).
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 wi
th 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 present a basis of left-invariant vector fields, together with their respective left-invariant 1-forms, a basis of right-invariant vector fields, and some other properties. We exhibit all stratified groups in dimension up to 7 and also study some free-nilpotent groups in dimension up to 14.
This paper contributes to the study of sets of finite intrinsic perimeter in Carnot groups. Our intent is to characterize in which groups the only sets with constant intrinsic normal are the vertical half-spaces. Our viewpoint is algebraic: such a ph
enomenon happens if and only if the semigroup generated by each horizontal half-space is a vertical half-space. We call emph{semigenerated} those Carnot groups with this property. For Carnot groups of nilpotency step 3 we provide a complete characterization of semigeneration in terms of whether such groups do not have any Engel-type quotients. Engel-type groups, which are introduced here, are the minimal (in terms of quotients) counterexamples. In addition, we give some sufficient criteria for semigeneration of Carnot groups of arbitrary step. For doing this, we define a new class of Carnot groups, which we call type $(Diamond)$ and which generalizes the previous notion of type $(star)$ defined by M. Marchi. As an application, we get that in type $ (Diamond) $ groups and in step 3 groups that do not have any Engel-type algebra as a quotient, one achieves a strong rectifiability result for sets of finite perimeter in the sense of Franchi, Serapioni, and Serra-Cassano.
In this paper we introduce the notion of horizontally affine, h-affine in short, function and give a complete description of such functions on step-2 Carnot algebras. We show that the vector space of h-affine functions on the free step-2 rank-$n$ Car
not algebra is isomorphic to the exterior algebra of $mathbb{R}^n$. Using that every Carnot algebra can be written as a quotient of a free Carnot algebra, we shall deduce from the free case a description of h-affine functions on arbitrary step-2 Carnot algebras, together with several characterizations of those step-2 Carnot algebras where h-affine functions are affine in the usual sense of vector spaces. Our interest for h-affine functions stems from their relationship with a class of sets called precisely monotone, recently introduced in the literature, as well as from their relationship with minimal hypersurfaces.
In the setting of Carnot groups, we are concerned with the rectifiability problem for subsets that have finite sub-Riemannian perimeter. We introduce a new notion of rectifiability that is possibly, weaker than the one introduced by Franchi, Serapion
i, and Serra Cassano. Namely, we consider subsets $Gamma$ that, similarly to intrinsic Lipschitz graphs, have a cone property: there exists an open dilation-invariant subset $C$ whose translations by elements in $Gamma$ dont intersect $Gamma$. However, a priori the cone $C$ may not have any horizontal directions in its interior. In every Carnot group, we prove that the reduced boundary of every finite-perimeter subset can be covered by countably many subsets that have such a cone property. The cones are related to the semigroups generated by the horizontal half-spaces determined by the normal directions. We further study the case when one can find horizontal directions in the interior of the cones, in which case we infer that finite-perimeter subsets are countably rectifiable with respect to intrinsic Lipschitz graphs. A sufficient condition for this to hold is the existence of a horizontal one-parameter subgroup that is not an abnormal curve. As an application, we verify that this property holds in every filiform group, of either first or second type.
This paper is related to the problem of finding a good notion of rectifiability in sub-Riemannian geometry. In particular, we study which kind of results can be expected for smooth hypersurfaces in Carnot groups. Our main contribution will be a conse
quence of the following result: there exists a $C^{infty}$ hypersurface $S$ without characteristic points that has uncountably many pairwise non-isomorphic tangent groups on every positive-measure subset. The example is found in a Carnot group of topological dimension 8, it has Hausdorff dimension 12 and so we use on it the Hausdorff measure $mathcal{H}^{12}$. As a consequence, we show that for every Carnot group of Hausdorff dimension 12, any Lipschitz map defined on a subset of it with values in $S$ has $mathcal{H}^{12}$-null image. In particular, we deduce that this smooth hypersurface cannot be Lipschitz parametrizable by countably many maps each defined on some subset of some Carnot group of Hausdorff dimension $12$. As main consequence we have that a notion of rectifiability proposed by S.Pauls is not equivalent to one proposed by B.Franchi, R.Serapioni and F.Serra Cassano, at least for arbitrary Carnot groups. In addition, we show that, given a subset $U$ of a homogeneous subgroup of Hausdorff dimension $12$ of a Carnot group, every bi-Lipschitz map $f:Uto S$ satisfies $mathcal{H}^{12}(f(U))=0$. Finally, we prove that such an example does not exist in Heisenberg groups: we prove that all $C^{infty}$-hypersurfaces in $mathbb H^n$ with $ngeq 2$ are countably $mathbb{H}^{n-1}timesmathbb R$-rectifiabile according to Pauls definition, even with bi-Lipschitz maps.
We analyze subsets of Carnot groups that have intrinsic constant normal, as they appear in the blowup study of sets that have finite sub-Riemannian perimeter. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, we prove some mild regularity and structural
results in arbitrary Carnot groups. Namely, we show that for every constant-normal set in a Carnot group its sub-Riemannian-Lebesgue representative is regularly open, contractible, and its topological boundary coincides with the reduced boundary and with the measure-theoretic boundary. We infer these properties from a cone property. Such a cone will be a semisubgroup with nonempty interior that is canonically associated with the normal direction. We characterize the constant-normal sets exactly as those that are arbitrary unions of translations of such semisubgroups. Second, making use of such a characterization, we provide some pathological examples in the specific case of the free-Carnot group of step 3 and rank 2. Namely, we construct a constant normal set that, with respect to any Riemannian metric, is not of locally finite perimeter; we also construct an example with non-unique intrinsic blowup at some point, showing that it has different upper and lower sub-Riemannian density at the origin. Third, we show that in Carnot groups of step 4 or less, every constant-normal set is intrinsically rectifiable, in the sense of Franchi, Serapioni, and Serra Cassano.
We prove that sub-Riemannian manifolds are infinitesimally Hilbertian (i.e., the associated Sobolev space is Hilbert) when equipped with an arbitrary Radon measure. The result follows from an embedding of metric derivations into the space of square-i
ntegrable sections of the horizontal bundle, which we obtain on all weighted sub-Finsler manifolds. As an intermediate tool, of independent interest, we show that any sub-Finsler distance can be monotonically approximated from below by Finsler ones. All the results are obtained in the general setting of possibly rank-varying structures.
