Abstract: Quantitative unique continuation states that eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on smooth closed manifolds cannot vanish faster than exponentially in its eigenvalue in any open set. It is interpreted physically that the probability of a quantum particle to appear in the classically forbidden region (total energy < potential) is at least exponentially small, also known as quantum tunnelling. In this informal talk, we will discuss the strategy to prove it on both closed and open manifolds with specified end structures (like cones or cylinders) and discuss open problems.

The microlocal point of view was introduced by M. Sato in the 1960s for studying partial differential equations. It was then adopted by M. Kashiwara and P. Schapira and developed into a systematic theory in the context of sheaves on manifolds. The theory has since had applications in many fields, including partial differential equations, symplectic geometry, geometric Langlands, and exponential sums. In this talk, I will explain the basic ingredients of this theory, and discuss recent development of its analogues in the contexts of étale sheaves on algebraic varieties and rigid analytic varieties.