Expected values of eigenfunction periods (Q254273)

Let \((M,g)\) be a smooth compact Riemann surface. Let \(\phi_{h_j}\) be an eigenfunction of the scalar Laplacian \(\Delta_g\) where one has \(-h_j^2\Delta_g\phi_{h_j}=\phi_{h_j}\). If \(\gamma\) is a smooth closed curve, let \(I_{\gamma,h}:=\left|\int_\gamma\phi_hds\right|\) where \(ds\) denotes are length. These ``periods'' are studied by the author in this paper and give information on the fluctuations of the eigenfunctions along the curve in question. Let \(D>0\) be a sufficiently large constant and consider the cluster of eigenfunctions defined by the requirement \(hh_j^{-1}\in(1,1+hD]\). Let \(P_h\) be a uniform probability measure on the unit sphere of this cluster of eigenvalues in \(L^2(M,g)\). The author shows that there exist \(C_i=C_i(\gamma,M,g)\) and \(h_0>0\) so that if \(h\in(0,h_0]\) one has \[ C_1\sqrt h\leq E_h\left[\left|\int_\gamma ud\sigma\right|\right]\leq C_2\sqrt h. \] This probabilistic result means that a generic eigenfunction cluster should oscillate enough to induce a decaying period on a closed curve along which the deterministic bounds seemed to be saturated and that decay better or worse than \(\sqrt h\) is atypical.