Weak Observability Characterization for Abstract Wave Equations

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the weak observability of second-order infinite-dimensional evolution systems generated by skew-adjoint operators of the form $iA_0$, where $A_0$ is a self-adjoint elliptic operator. We first establish a spectral characterization of weak observability by introducing the notion of spectral coercivity for the observation operator and proving its equivalence to a suitable resolvent estimate. Our main result reveals a direct link between resolvent estimates for the elliptic operator $A_0$ and the weak observability of the associated evolution generator $A$. More precisely, we prove that a resolvent inequality for $A_0$ implies a Hautus-type spectral observability estimate for $A$, which guarantees the weak observability of the system. This provides a unified spectral framework for weak observability based on the coercivity properties of the observation operator. As an application, we establish explicit weak observability estimates for the wave equation on a rectangular domain under several geometric configurations of the observation region. The analysis combines frequency-domain methods, resolvent estimates, and Fourier analysis, yielding new insights into the interplay between resolvent inequalities, spectral coercivity, and weak observability in infinite-dimensional systems.