Global uniqueness theorems for linear and nonlinear waves (Q746916)

For general self-adjoint linear wave equations and some nonlinear wave equations, certain global unique continuation results are presented. The analysis is performed in the exterior domain of a light cone. For a linear wave equation, in case the potential \(\nu\) -- the coefficient of the unknown function in the equation -- decays and satisfies some suitable bounds, one shows that if the solution decays, in the considered domain, toward null infinity faster than generic solutions of the free wave equation, then this solution must vanish everywhere in the domain. The same result is obtained if the potential satisfies a certain monotonicity property and the solution is assumed to satisfy a specific decay condition. This result can be applied, for instance, to the Klein-Gordon equation. These results have been applied to some classes of nonlinear wave equations, the subconformal focusing-type equations as well as to the conformal and superconformal defocusing type equations. In the proofs, Carleman-type estimates are used.