Propagation of singularities theorem


In microlocal analysis, the propagation of singularities theorem is theorem which characterizes the wavefront set of the distributional solution of the partial differential equation
for a pseudodifferential operator on a smooth manifold. It says that the propagation of singularities follows the bicharacteristic flow of the principal symbol of.
The theorem appeared 1972 in a work on Fourier integral operators by Johannes Jisse Duistermaat and Lars Hörmander and since then there have been many generalizations which are known under the name propagation of singularities.

Propagation of singularities theorem

We use the following notation:
Let be a properly supported pseudodifferential operator of class with a real principal symbol, which is homogeneous of degree in. Let be a distribution that satisfies the equation, then it follows that
Furthermore, is invariant under the Hamiltonian flow induced by.