Sobolev inequality and its extremal functions for homogeneous Hörmander vector fields

Abstract: Let $X=(X_1,X_{2},\ldots,X_m)$ be a system of homogeneous H\"{o}rmander vector fields defined on $\mathbb{R}^n$. In this paper, we establish connections between the volume growth rate set of subunit balls and the admissible conjugate Sobolev exponents set on arbitrary open subsets $\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^n$. By analyzing further properties of these sets, we derive Sobolev inequalities and provide explicit conditions for the optimality of the corresponding Sobolev exponents, particularly for bounded and certain classes of unbounded domains. Furthermore, by developing a refined concentration-compactness lemma, specifically adapted to degenerate cases, we prove that the optimal Sobolev constant is attained when the maximal level set of the pointwise homogeneous dimension is spanned by the translation directions of $X$.