Derivatives of Sub-Riemannian Geodesics are $L_p$-H\"older Continuous

Abstract

This article is devoted to the long-standing problem on the smoothness of sub-Riemannian geodesics. We prove that the derivatives of sub-Riemannian geodesics are always $L_p$-H\"older continuous. Additionally, this result has several interesting implications. These include (i) the decay of Fourier coefficients on abnormal controls, (ii) the rate at which they can be approximated by smooth functions, (iii) a generalization of the Poincar\'e inequality, and (iv) a compact embedding of the set of shortest paths into the space of Bessel potentials.