Resonances in hyperbolic dynamics

Abstract

The study of wave propagation outside bounded obstacles uncovers the existence of resonances for the Laplace operator, which are complex-valued generalized eigenvalues, relevant to estimate the long time asymptotics of the wave. In order to understand distribution of these resonances at high frequency, we employ semiclassical tools, which leads to considering the classical scattering problem, and in particular the set of trapped trajectories. We focus on "chaotic" situations, where this set is a hyperbolic repeller, generally with a fractal geometry. In this context, we derive fractal Weyl upper bounds for the resonance counting; we also obtain dynamical criteria ensuring the presence of a resonance gap. We also address situations where the trapped set is a normally hyperbolic submanifold, a case which can help analyzing the long time properties of (classical) Anosov contact flows through semiclassical methods.