About the blowup of quasimodes on Riemannian manifolds (Q2430512)

Let \(\Delta\) be the scalar Laplacian on a compact Riemannian manifold \((M,g)\) of dimension \(m\). If \(\lambda^2\) is a non-trivial eigenvalue, let \(E_\lambda:=\{\phi:\Delta\phi=\lambda_\nu^2\phi\}\) be the corresponding eigenspace. One defines \[ L^\infty(\lambda,g):=\sup_{\phi:\Delta\phi=\lambda^2\phi,\int\phi^2=1} ||\phi||_{L^\infty}\,. \] One has in general that \(L^\infty(\lambda,g)=O(\lambda^{(m-1)/2})\). One says that \((M,g)\) has maximal eigenfunction growth if \(L^\infty(\lambda,g)=\Omega(\lambda^{(n-1)/2})\) for some subsequence of eigenfunctions. There must then exist a point \(z\) of \(M\) called a partial blow-down point such that a positive measure of geodesics emanating from \(z\) return to it at a fixed time \(T\); if all the directions loop back, \(z\) is said to be a blow-down point. The paper studies when \((M,g)\) has maximal eigenvalue growth. To study the geometry it is useful to include approximate eigenfunctions or quasi modes. The authors show: Theorem: If there exists an admissible sequence of quasimodes with \(||\psi_{\lambda_k}||_{L^\infty}=\Omega(\lambda_k^{(m-1)/2})\), then there exists a partial blow-down point for the geodesic flow; in the real analytic setting, there is a blow-down point. A converse is established under suitable additional conditions and suitable additional geometric conditions are examined.