On the three ball theorem for solutions of the Helmholtz equation

Abstract

Let $u_k$ be a solution of the Helmholtz equation with the wave number $k$, $\Delta u_k+k^2 u_k=0$, on a small ball in either $\mathbb{R}^n$, $\mathbb{S}^n$, or $\mathbb{H}^n$. For a fixed point $p$, we define $M_{u_k}(r)=\max_{d(x,p)\le r}|u_k(x)|.$ The following three ball inequality $M_{u_k}(2r)\le C(k,r,\alpha)M_{u_k}(r)^{\alpha}M_{u_k}(4r)^{1-\alpha}$ is well known, it holds for some $\alpha\in (0,1)$ and $C(k,r,\alpha)>0$ independent of $u_k$. We show that the constant $C(k,r,\alpha)$ grows exponentially in $k$ (when $r$ is fixed and small). We also compare our result with the increased stability for solutions of the Cauchy problem for the Helmholtz equation on Riemannian manifolds.