An uncertainty principle for eigenfunction expansions. (Q1386219)

The aim of this paper is to present evidence that there are uncertainty principles associated to eigenfunction expansions. Several examples are given. If \(f\) is a radial function on a hyperboloid such that \(|f(x)| \leq C \exp(\alpha d (x,o)^2)\), \(o\) being a fixed reference point, and if the spherical transform \(\widetilde{f}\) of \(f\) satisfies \(|\widetilde{f} (\lambda)| \leq C \exp(-\beta |\lambda|^2)\), where \(\alpha \beta >1/4\), then \(f=0\). If \(f\) is a function on a compact connected analytic manifold \(M\), written as \(\sum f_k\), where the \(f_k\) are all eigenfunctions of a fixed analytic elliptic operator on \(M\), and if the \(f_k\) decay fast enough, then \(f\) must be analytic, and this cannot be localised in \(M\). Finally, a similar result is proved for Hermite expansions of functions on \(R^n\).