Sub-Hermitian geometry and the quantitative Newlander-Nirenberg theorem

Abstract

Given a finite collection of C1 complex vector fields on a C2 manifold M such that they and their complex conjugates span the complexified tangent space at every point, the classical Newlander-Nirenberg theorem gives conditions on the vector fields so that there is a complex structure on M with respect to which the vector fields are T0,1. In this paper, we give intrinsic, diffeomorphic invariant, necessary and sufficient conditions on the vector fields so that they have a desired level of regularity with respect to this complex structure (i.e., smooth, real analytic, or have Zygmund regularity of some finite order). By addressing this in a quantitative way we obtain a holomorphic analog of the quantitative theory of sub-Riemannian geometry initiated by Nagel, Stein, and Wainger. We call this sub-Hermitian geometry. Moreover, we proceed more generally and obtain similar results for manifolds which have an associated formally integrable elliptic structure. This allows us to introduce a setting which generalizes both the real and complex theories.