Sharp \(L^2\) bounds for oscillatory integral operators with \(C^\infty\) phases (Q5932128)

The author studies the decay rate of the norm of the oscillatory integral operator \(T\) on \(L^2(\mathbb R)\) defined by \[ Tf(x)=\int_{-\infty}^\infty e^{i\lambda S(x,y)}\chi(x,y)f(y)dy \] for a \(C^\infty\) real phase function \(S(x,y)\) and a \(C^\infty\) cut-off function compactly supported in a small neighborhood of the origin in the plane. Originally, \textit{L. Hörmander} [Ark. Mat. 11, 1-11 (1973; Zbl 0254.42010)] obtained the sharp estimate \(\|T\|\lesssim\lambda^{-1/2}\) when the mixed partial derivatives \(S_{xy}''\neq 0\) on the support of \(\chi\). Recently, determining the sharp decay rate of \(\|T\|\) for the case that \(S_{xy}''\) vanishes has got much attraction due to its connection with the smoothing properties of generalized Radon transforms. When \(S(x,y)\) is real analytic, \textit{D. H. Phong} and \textit{E. M. Stein} [Acta. Math. 179, No. 1, 105-152 (1997; Zbl 0896.35147)] proved by introducing and using the Newton decay rate \(\delta\) of \(S(x,y)\) that the decay estimate for \(T\) relies on the Newton polygon of \(S_{xy}''\) and the sharp bound \(\|T\|\lesssim\lambda^{-\delta/2}\) holds in some sense. In the general \(C^\infty\) case, \textit{A. Seeger} [Duke Math. J. 71, No. 3, 685-745 (1993; Zbl 0806.35191) and J. Am. Math. Soc. 11, No. 4, 869-897 (1998; Zbl 0907.35147)] obtained the estimate \(\|T\|\lesssim C_\varepsilon\lambda^{-\delta/2+\varepsilon}\). The author classifies the degeneracy of \(S_{xy}''\) into two kinds by introducing the exceptionally degenerate case. When \(S_{xy}''\) is not exceptionally degenerate, he obtains the sharp decay rate of the norm of \(T\) on \(L^2(\mathbb R)\) for \(\lambda\to\infty\). However, if \(S_{xy}''\) is exceptionally degenerate, he obtains the decay rate which is not sharp, but better than Seeger's result; in fact, it is almost sharp in that there is no loss of \(\varepsilon\) but one looses at most a power of log.