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Frobenius local coordinate theorem
Statement
Let be a rank- smooth distribution on an -manifold . Then the following are equivalent:
- is integrable.
- is involutive.
When these conditions hold, every point has a coordinate neighborhood in which
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A rank- smooth distribution on and a point .
Assume first that is integrable.
Proof
If is integrable, then it is involutive by the necessity [given] proposition. This proves 1 => 2.
Now assume is involutive. For the distribution is [given] zero, and for it is all of , so the displayed coordinate form is immediate. Thus only the case needs work.
Choose a local frame of near with [given] . By the frame-reduction lemma, after shrinking there are local sections such that frames , each is tangent to the slices of a flow-box chart for , and for all . Let be the slice in that flow-box chart, and write . Then are pointwise independent vector fields on the -manifold . Because and each is tangent to the slices, the restrictions lie in the span of . Hence those span an involutive rank- distribution on .
Apply the theorem inductively on the rank to that distribution on . [given] There are local coordinates on in which Extend these coordinates off by keeping them constant along the -flow, and use the flow parameter as . Then . Since each commutes with , its coefficients in these flow-box coordinates are constant along the -flow, so the span identity on extends to Therefore on a neighborhood of .
In those coordinates, the slices with [given] fixed are integral manifolds of . Thus the involutive case is integrable, proving 2 => 1.
Hence integrability and involutivity are equivalent, and in the involutive [given] case the distribution is locally flat in coordinates as stated.
Depends on
- Integrable distributions
- Involutive distributions
- A smooth distribution is exactly a locally framed constant-rank family of tangent spaces
- Integrable distributions are involutive
- An involutive local frame can be reduced to one field plus commuting transverse fields
- Commuting independent vector fields give a coordinate system
Used by
- Frobenius gives local first integrals Corollary
- Flat charts for a distribution Definition
- Leaves of a Lie subalgebra distribution Example
- Orbit circles of rotation as a foliation away from the origin Example
- The coordinate-plane distribution and its affine leaves Example
- Overlapping plaques through a point have compatible germs Lemma
- Every connected tangent map meeting a leaf factors uniquely through that leaf Proposition
- Existence and uniqueness of maximal connected integral manifolds Theorem
- Regular foliations and integrable distributions correspond Theorem
Dependency tree · two levels
25 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.
Sources
- John M. Lee, Introduction to Smooth Manifolds, 2nd ed. (standard reference, not scraped)
- Will J. Merry, Differential Geometry (standard reference, not scraped)
- Keith Conrad, Local and global Frobenius theorems (standard reference, not scraped)