Dennis The, A Cartan-theoretic Perspective on (2,3,5)-distributions

Generic rank 2 distributions on 5-manifolds, i.e. “(2,3,5)-distributions”, are interesting geometric structures arising in the study of non-holonomic systems, underdetermined ODE of Monge type, conformal 5-manifolds with special holonomy, etc. The origins of their study date to Élie Cartan’s “5-variables” paper of 1910, where he gave a tour-de-force application of his method of equivalence. In my talk, I’ll revisit the classification of homogeneous (2,3,5)-distributions from a modern “Cartan-theoretic” perspective. In particular, I’ll discuss from this viewpoint the exceptionality of the 3:1 ratio for two spheres rolling on each other without twisting or slipping.