TITLE: Smoothness of vector fields with smooth flow
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: Suppose you have a Vector field $X$ on a smooth (complete) manifold $M$, whose flow $\phi_X^t$ is, for each time $t\in (-\varepsilon,\varepsilon)$, smooth (of class $C^k$).
Questions:
Is $X$ smooth (of class $C^{k-\textrm{something}}$)? Can I control that "something"? What about the case $M=\mathbb{R}^n$?
Thank you in advance!

REPLY [2 votes]: Consider for instance the case of $M:=\mathbb{R}$, and any $C^k$ field $X$ on $M$, that we may identify with a function. Say, such that $0 < a \le X(s)\le b$. The field $X$ has a globally defined flow, conjugated to the translation flow $x\mapsto x+t$: 
$$\phi^t(x):= h^{-1}(h(x)+t)\,,$$ 
where the conjugation $h:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ is $$h(x):=\int_0^x\frac{1}{X(s)}ds \, .$$
Thus if $X$ is of class $C^k$, possibly not $C^{k+1}$,  $\phi $ is in any case in $C^{k+1}(\mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R},\mathbb{R})\, .$